I am both amused and perplexed at the media coverage being given to Army Reservists returning from an eight-week call to active duty at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Some 30 years ago, Vietnam veterans began returning to an ungrateful and often hostile homecoming. Now it appears that the pendulum gas swung to the opposite. Desert Storm veterans were hailed as conquering heroes after 90 days in Saudi Arabia, even if they served in a motor pool. Now, a company of clerk-typists sounds as if they can claim a rightful place beside the heroes of Valley Forge, the Alamo, Bull Run, the Ardennes, El Alamein, Pork Chop Hill and Dak To.

Your story in the Daily Egyptian ( Soldiers back from duty at Fort Benning, Feb. 16) says the troops worked very hard, sometimes 24-hours-a-day … (they) processed paperwork and prepared soldiers for the trip to Bosnia.

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I can see the merit badge now, in the shape of a little silver typewriter. The company motto:We never retreat, but we backspace a lot.

Question:Should we honor these stalwarts on Veteran’s Day or during National Secretaries Week?