TO THE EDITOR:

Mr. Burke writes excellent articles that I enjoy reading. The article about car manufacturers was very factual but I think the whole point about “American made” has been missed. What has happened to loyalty and allegiance to America? Have we forgotten about all the brave people that fought for us?

The reason the “Big Three Automakers” lost their status was because they served up too many inferior products, greed, and an American public that has suffered from amnesia. Americans have to remember that in WWI, WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War we were not at war with GM, Ford, or Chrysler. Many Americans suffered because of these conflicts and some of the foreign manufacturers of our “Americanmade vehicles” were busy building war machines to kill Americans. I do not think that the car Hitler paraded around in was a Buick. In fact it was a Mercedes. Mercedes and BMW built aircraft engines for Germany in WWI as did Daimler-Benz in WWII. Mitsubishi built the engine for the Japanese Zero airplanes that attacked Pearl Harbor.

One story that has kept me loyal to our original American-made manufacturers was a story of one my neighbors, the late Mr. Marshall Raffini. He was captured by the Germans during WWII and spent six months in a prison camp. When he was released he weighed 80 lbs. When he finally got back to Washing- ton, Georgia, by railroad he had no way of getting in touch with his family so he had to walk to the Metasville community. I can only imagine the physical and mental torment that he had to endure. My grandfather, W.A. Danner (Silver Star recipient, WWI), suffered shell shock from the trenches of France and dealt with that for years after the conflict. Many made the supreme sacrifice.

I am sure that there are many other fine men and women that served our country that can relate similar stories and if you watch the History Channel there are more facts about these foreign “American-made vehicle companies” that were doing everything in their power to decimate us and the American way of life. One other individual that brings a point across says that we should learn the lesson about selling our scrap iron overseas, because the last time we did that was before WWII and it was later shot back at us!

There are other American businesses that are now lost because of greed and unreasonable federal regulations. We do not have a flourishing textile business in the U.S. because short-sighted greed found that it was better to have products manufactured cheaper overseas. But now, because all of those jobs are gone, no one here can afford to buy even the cheaper products.

Just to keep the record straight, I slip up and buy goods from our former enemies. I make an effort at least to buy from our Allies or neutral countries. It is difficult to buy 100% American-made, however if we would all make a diligent effort then maybe we could maintain our super-power status in the world. I am proud to be an American citizen and proud of the people that made it possible!

Bernie Henderson