Nov 7, 2015 1 min read

I wholeheartedly disagree with the Nov. 1 letter by Barry L. Andrews, “Don’t exploit veteran status in election.”

When I see that a candidate for public office has volunteered his or her time to serve our country in the military, I immediately take note of their ability to commit to a cause. It affirms to me that the candidate could possess good moral character and sound judgement.

A military service record indicates a candidate cares enough about the elected office he or she is seeking, in addition to upholding all our rights to have free elections, by actually defending our freedoms through his or her military service.

I firmly believe any military veteran running for elected office should continue to promote their military service record with pride. It would be a disservice to the electorate not to provide us with this information. It is then up to voters to ask the tough questions of all the candidates before deciding if they share their viewpoints. It is called being an informed voter.

Rebecca L. Simpson

Washington