For nineteen years I have, as much as possible, avoided movies, books, discussions, anything at all to do with Vietnam. I went and it wasn’t pleasant. When the May/June issue arrived, I picked it up and put it down for two weeks before deciding to read your article “What Should We Tell Our Children about Vietnam?” Maybe nineteen years is long enough.

The article has explained many things to me, and for that I thank Bill McCloud and American Heritage. It also brought back many memories. For that, well, maybe it’s time. Since you have started to help me understand, I ask your help for one more thing.

I can understand why our government must sometimes keep the truth from the public. I also understand our government’s making mistakes and using bad judgment. I cannot understand why it took ten years and thousands of lives to rectify these errors. Help me understand this.