Letter of the Day: Been there, done this

Editor, Daily News:

It seems that some people refuse to understand that making statements on various subjects, without making sure of the facts or having personal experience of said subject, makes the writer look kind of foolish.

I am a military veteran and a legal immigrant, so maybe my perspective will be useful to others.

I was raised in South Africa and lived under one of the most oppressive governments in Africa. After high school, I was required to serve in the Armed Forces from 1976 to 1987, not of my own free will.

After saving for years and going through all the grueling red tape, etc., my dream came true. I came to the United States to make a new life in a free country.

The average U.S. citizen has no idea how lucky they are and take their freedom for granted. How naive. People don't realize they can lose this by becoming complacent.

Hopefully, we will all come to understand that it is under threat right now by a large group of people who wouldn't think twice about strapping on a bomb and killing themselves and others, or cutting off the hand of a petty thief, or stoning someone to death in public for a moral infraction.

Stop for a moment and consider what our freedom means to us and to what lengths we should go to protect this, whatever that might be. Then think about what the alternative might be if we do not.

I hope this letter gives food for thought.

P.A. Brown , Naples