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Twelve military aircraft flew in formation over New York, Philadelphia and four other cities this past week, ostensibly to show appreciation and support for healthcare workers at a cost of $120,000/hour.

As inspiring as these demonstration teams are, was it a proper use of military funds?  Did the flyover give our healthcare workers and other heroes (grocery workers, pharmacists, restaurant workers, and farm laborers) what they need?  Did the flyover provide adequate quantities and timely availability of masks, gowns and test kits along with labs able to quickly process tests? 

The answer is they did not.

My brother is an X-ray technician who says the frontline workers in his hospital have not been able to exchange masks in between virus patients.  Instead, staff put their used masks in paper bags marked with their name for use with the next virus patient.

My daughter was put on furlough because she refused to work among hospital patients without a mask.

In another misuse of the military, Trump is dragging 1,000 cadets back to West Point so he can speak at their graduation ceremony.  Many of these cadets (scattered all over the country) may have coronavirus and could easily spread it to other cadets and parents attending the ceremony. Why?

I am a 20-year military retiree.  So, I appreciate military members who participated in the flyover.  But these actions focused on the military appear to be a substitute for political rallies.

We have a president who continually shows lack of leadership as he demonstrates more value for his self-interest then he does for the lives of young military officers and their families. He certainly shows no leadership in support of the actual needs of our front-line heroes. 

Where are the masks and tests?  Where is the competent leadership?

Kenneth Peterson     

Buchanan