Better Men Than He

by Robert Hall

I would like to inform Mr. Kilmer that I'm a Marine Vietnam veteran, that I volunteered for the Marines and for Vietnam, and that after serving I earned a BA in Government and was elected to the Massachusetts state senate the year I graduated from college, serving for five terms.

While a senator, I earned an MEd in history, and served 6 more years in the Marine Reserves. I'm a published writer, including poetry and fiction. I'm also a member of Mensa. I doubt Mr. Kilmer has the brains to get into Mensa any more than he has the courage to join the Marines.

As an actor, he gets to be Walter Mitty, and pretend to be a lot of things that his limited intellect, courage and character would not let him be in real life in a million years. Because he entertains people, he thinks that gives him some understanding of them. But trained chimps are also entertaining, perhaps more so than Mr. Kilmer.

He is entitled to say what he wants -- better men than he earned him that right with their blood. But why anyone listens is beyond me.

Robert A. Hall, MEd, CAE
Cpl, USMC 1964-68
Massachusetts Senate 1973-83
SSgt, USMCR 1977-83