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Military spouses

Nov 19, 2009 at 09:39 AM

To the Editor:

Being a veteran I received several notes of thanks on Veterans Day. I would like to thank the thousands (especially my wife) of spouses who may not have the title of veteran, but they are, in my book, veterans. These people suffered hardships, stress and a lot of work while giving their unwavering support to the troops.
My wife was up all hours of the night to see me off on another flight, or leaving for a TDY deployment, or alert duty for two weeks. She took care of the house and drove the kids to the doctor and took care of their needs. Often she would greet me when we landed back home. Let us thank all these unsung heroes that make up the most valuable support team the military has. Thank you to all military spouses.

Vic Dumas
Waitsfield

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Comments (1)

	1. Nov-25-2009 10:27
	View Point: Are you going to be immuniz I am a property owner in the Valley who has subscribed to the Valley Reporter for many years. I am now writing to express my concerns regarding the recent comments expressed in the Valley Reporter Viewpoint by several teacher who have indicated that they will not seek immunization for the flu virus. The decision by these teachers ignores the scientific evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of flu immunizations. More important, however, this decision indicates that each teacher believes her personal choice to take the risk of acquiring the disease should be also shared by the children with whom she will come into contact in her daily work. We know that annually approximately 36,000 individuals in our country die from influenza and another 200,000 are hospitalized (New England Journal of Medicine, 361:19) Moreover, the populations most vulnerable to flu mortality are children and older adults. Children are most vulnerable to the H1N1 flu virus and have experienced the highest death rates with this illness. Twice I have seen a teacher express the view that she should not be immunized for flu in the Valley Viewpoint. Clearly, any individual who makes this kind of decision either lacks a concern for those who he or she puts at risk or has a very poor understanding of the risks others are being asked to take. Contrary to the view expressed by one of the teachers, you cannot be protected just by being around the flu. You instead increase your chances of serious illness and the chance of sharing that illness with others who may be vulnerable to the illness's serious consequences. I urge the Valley Reporter to do a comprehensive article on the safety and importance of taking advantage of the season and H1N1 flu immunizations. Moreover, I urge your readers to consider that the decision to avoid this immunization puts not only yourself at risk but all those others around you. Thank you, Geraldine Polly Bednash, PhD, RN, FAAN Chief Executve Officer American Association of Colleges of Nursing IP: 65.19.76.53 Report

Polly Bednash

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