Berlin's Wall
Sir:
Peter Fechter's unattended death at the Berlin Wall [Aug. 31] should not be held to the account of the American troops there.
In war, soldiers commonly rescue their wounded and dead from exposed positions, often in defiance of orders. But in Berlin a different valor is called for: the courage to obey orders because they are right. When on each soldier's act hangs awesome consequences, he has no right of initiative.
So long as we preserve deep anger that such deaths must happen, we preserve the respect for the individual on which...
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