To the Editor:

Deputy Town Supervisor Dennis Palow’s claim that he had been “discriminated” against because of his status as a veteran was the principal focus of the June 24, 2020 Berne Town Board meeting. That meeting resulted in the town board’s “censuring” Councilman Joel Willsey — a toothless gesture designed solely to intimidate and harass Mr.Wilsey.

Mr. Palow, thank you for your service to our country. There are likely hundreds of folks in Berne who have also served their country throughout our history and they also deserve our heartfelt thanks.

The difference here is that those folks don’t wear that service on their sleeves; they don’t expect a halo or a statute in town square. Like the millions of service members across the country, they have come to understand that it is a privilege to serve.

The understanding that it is a privilege to serve gives folks a humble sense of pride that they carry with them throughout their lives. That is the true reward for service to the country. Most of those folks don’t wrap themselves in the false flag of patriotism. They demand  nothing — pride of service is sufficient — as, of course, it always has been.

My dad was a World War II veteran. Throughout my childhood and all of my adult life, I never once heard him mention his years of service to the country. Shortly before he died (at 89), he allowed me to see a diary he kept during the war years.

It’s really an extended love letter to my mom, but it is also a grim record of the savagery and brutality he witnessed. I treasure that diary. My father was deeply patriotic. He would have been appalled by your behavior.

You have used your status as a veteran as part of an intentional and coordinated political plan to harass a fellow councilman. The issue here is certainly not that you have been discriminated against. Of course you haven’t been and you know that.

The issue clearly is that you insist on using your status as a veteran for political advantage and to browbeat your political opponents. That is reprehensible. Good lord, even John Wayne would turn in his grave if he were forced to witness such behavior.

More importantly, you have insulted all those folks in town who have proudly served their country by using your service in a patently hypocritical false flag of patriotism. You are an embarrassment and you insult all the quietly proud veterans in our community.

Hang your treasured uniform in the closet and (like most folks who have also served), try to use the lessons learned while in service and understand that it is a privilege to once again give back to your community.

And, by the way, it’s not necessary to be angry all the time. We’re not in a battle. We are attempting to survive in a time of crisis. All hands on deck — not in the toilet.

Lawrence Zimmerman

East Berne

Editor’s note: Lawrence Zimmerman is a member of the Berne Planning Board.