Letters to the Editor: A conflict in which children are killed can’t be ‘small potatoes’

To the editor: President Trump said the Iran war is “small potatoes” compared to the Vietnam War (“Vance says Iran fight isn’t a ‘war.’ Trump says it’s ‘small potatoes,’” Sept. 4), in which we lost thousands and thousands of U.S. soldiers (Robert McNamara, who served as secretary of Defense during Vietnam, would later admit that the U.S. was “wrong, terribly wrong.”) If you’re going to reduce bodies to just numbers, actually, we lost nearly 60,000 American soldiers compared to the Vietnamese losing 3 million people.

Didn’t Trump say early on that he was against getting involved in foreign wars? But he just couldn’t resist trying to be a hero. Tina Turner sang the answer: “Out of the ruins, out from the wreckage, can’t make the same mistake this time. … We don’t need another hero.”

I don’t think the more than 150 children and teachers who were killed in February in an Iranian school by one of our missiles would call it “small potatoes.” I would call the school tragedy Trump’s My Lai Massacre, in which our soldiers killed around 400 civilians (mostly unarmed women, children and elderly) in the Vietnam “conflict.”

John Densmore, Los Angeles
The writer was the drummer of The Doors.

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To the editor: It appears Vice President JD Vance has been hanging around Trump for too long. Generally, Vance is coherent. Though I disagree with many things he says, he doesn’t come off as feckless as some in this administration.

However, Vance’s statement that the Iran war isn’t really a war ranks up there with the president’s denial of climate change, and the administration’s claims that Trump isn’t profiting off his official actions. It reflects either a profound misunderstanding of the scale of the conflict or a serious erosion in integrity and credibility.

This war was ill-advised. It’s led to attacks on U.S. allies, deaths of hundreds of innocent Iranians, unnecessary depletion of U.S. weapons stockpiles and disruption of the world economy. It’s understandable that Vance wants to downplay its effects. Still, pretending it’s not a war is disingenuous. He should know better.

Richard Leman, Honokaa, Hawaii

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To the editor: It’s not war: On March 4, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed laws criminalizing public statements about the military. Journalists who publicly call the “special operation” in Ukraine a “war” or “invasion” continue to face severe fines and long prison sentences of up to 15 years.

It’s war: Trump signed Executive Order 14347 on Sept. 5, 2025, authorizing the Department of Defense to use “Department of War” and “Secretary of War” as secondary, symbolic titles, signaling a stronger focus on deterrence and combat readiness.

It’s not war: Vance stated during a White House press briefing on Thursday that he rejected the use of the word “war” to describe the U.S. fighting with Iran, saying, “I wouldn’t call it a war.” Thousands of deaths are apparently not enough to be considered a “war.” “Small potatoes,” chimed in Trump the next day.

Michael Backauskas, Los Angeles

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To the editor: The absolute gall of the president and vice president to diminish the ultimate sacrifice that Libby Klinner’s husband made for his country is outrageous (“Widow of airman killed in Mideast is upset she was told Iran wasn’t a war while sorting out benefits,” Sept. 4). How can this administration compare lives lost to “small potatoes” and make a ridiculous comment of “we love ya”? Unbelievable.

Alice Colacino, Redondo Beach