HomeMy WebLinkAboutTony Cook (2) 673 Seal Rock Road JUL 6 2015 �
Port Angeles, WA 98363
Hm Phone: 360-928-9477 C1 OF PORT ANGELES
Email: tbcook @hughes.net cIY(IL ER
July 4, 2015
Port Angeles (7) City Council Members
321 E 51h St.
Port Angeles, WA 98362
Subject: My formal request asking Port Angeles City Council to put my proposals to honor
military draftees on their AGENDA for a public hearing as soon as possible.
City Council members Sissi Bruch, Brad Collins, Dan Di Guilio, Patrick Downie, Dan Gase, Cherie
Kidd and Lee Whetham:
At age 19, 1 was drafted into the U.S. Army and taught how to kill and destroy and then sent to
a war zone to participate in America's misguided Vietnam War. It should be noted, that doing
what my country asked me to do changed my life. Now 50 years later our Port Angeles Parks
Department had the audacity to insult and demean me and a group of military veterans of
which I am a member. That is peculiar, given that Americans tend to treat active duty military
personnel and veterans as their heroes. This process has become a debacle because Port
Angeles Parks Department bowed to the wishes of a politically well-connected veterans group
that vehemently dislikes veterans who served because of compulsory service (the draft). Let me
explain.
The name Port Angeles Veterans Memorial Park is crystal clear as to the parks intended
purpose: To memorialize veterans. Also, when I was honorably discharged from active duty it
was established that I was a veteran and that fact has not changed. The primary task of the
Parks Department should be to maximize space in the Veterans Park so as many honorably
discharged veterans as possible can be memorialized. I've noticed, in the last 50 years, that it's
not uncommon, in the veterans' community, for individual vets to embellish their participation
in defending America at the expense of their fellow veterans. Shame on them!
The non-issues are clear and I ask you to direct Parks to approve my memorial plaques ASAP.
I await your reply.
Sincerely,
Wm. Anthony Cook aka ony
Drafted Nov 1965 ' tnam 1966/67