Often have I enjoyed reading Sussex County historian Bill Truran’s accounts of local lore in the pages of the Advertiser-News North.
I was dismayed, therefore, to see that he could not get through a recent (Nov. 9) column commemorating Vietnam veterans without trotting out the old myth about returning troops being spat upon by people in airports and other public places.
Widely promoted by the movie “Rambo” and elsewhere in media and popular culture, this legend was thoroughly debunked by Vietnam veteran Jerry Lembcke in his book “The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam,” in which he points out that no such incident has ever reliably been corroborated.
As our county historian, Mr. Truran of all people, should be committed to ensuring historical accuracy rather than perpetuating falsehoods that only serve to keep the wounds of that tragic conflict open.
Frank A. Brincka
Wantage