Upon reading the series of letters spearheaded by "Minority soldiers killed in combat at high rate" (April 14 letter) I found myself absorbed in a wide range of emotion. I was outraged by his implications that military service in general and particularly in a combat unit, was a waste of time. Moreover, his belief that minorities have been used as "cannon fodder" is arrogant and simply not true. As someone who comes from a long lineage of combat soldiers and Marines, and as an aspiring Army officer myself, it is clear that the author has absolutely no grasp for the reality of the military, and also that he harbors contempt for the armed services. I can state with confidence that regardless of color or race no part of the military commands more respect than that of a combat soldier.

However, when looking at the same Department of Defense statistics from 2000 that the author used, it is clear that the combat units are actually disproportionately white. In 2000, 34.4 percent of the military was minority. However, the infantry remained at 79 percent Caucasian, while whites comprised 74.3 percent of the general population. Blacks comprised 9 percent of the infantry, while making up 11 percent of the population. During the Vietnam war, Department of Defense statistics show more than 86 percent of those killed were white and 12.2 percent were African American. African Americans at the time made up 13.1 percent of the draft-eligible age group, and 12.6 percent of the military. Where the author found the statistic that 28 percent of the combat deaths were Latino is beyond me.

While death itself is always tragic, to politicize in racial terms the contributions of those brave enough to risk their lives on your behalf is ludicrous, offensive and completely unfounded.