Regarding your (“Veterans debate joint memorial,” Auburn Reporter, Aug. 23): I believe the proposed Joint American/Vietnamese War Memorial belongs on public property, preferably Veterans Memorial Park in Auburn.

There are four cities in the U.S. – Orlando, Fla., Wichita, Kan., Arlington, Texas, and Westminster, Calif. – where Joint American/Vietnamese war memorials exist on public property, where their city councils voted to do the right thing and place these joint memorials in proper places of honor in the community.

Also, each of these joint memorials flies the flags of both the United States of America and South Vietnam (Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag). It’s important to remember that after the “Fall of Saigon” on April 30, 1975, the Vietnamese community, now U.S. citizens, lost not only their country, but they also lost their flag.

It’s easy for “thermometer leaders” to stick their fingers in the air, test the political temperature and conform. But it’s the “thermostat leaders” who set the temperature and influence others to change.

I hope the Auburn City Council does the right thing and follows the lead of other cities across the U.S. by allowing a place in Veterans Memorial Park for this Joint memorial, which is the proper place for honoring and remembering those veterans who fought side by side for freedom and democracy in Vietnam.

– Mike Sepal