Mailbag:

The crosswalk at Island Avenue and Balboa Boulevard on the Newport Peninsula has long been a concern to many residents. Cars speed down the boulevard with no regard for pedestrians or for cars that have actually stopped. Because this crosswalk crosses Balboa Boulevard at the library, the market, the restaurant, the beauty shop and the barber shop, people of all ages use it. It is one of the most used crosswalks in Newport.

It is a miracle that the seniors, families with children, and school-age children on their bikes going back and forth to school have not been seriously hurt. During the summer the chances of a major accident at this site increase greatly.

There are no crosswalk signs on the peninsula from the Newport Pier to The Wedge, with the exception of the sign and flashing light at 14th Street for Newport Elementary School.

Clearly something needs to be done. We have written letters and e-mails, made phone calls, and spoken to council members regarding this issue. So far, nothing has been done about this increasingly dangerous site. We are asking for, at the very least, a yield to pedestrians sign or a caution light. Let’s do it before a tragic accident occurs.

Nancy Remley

Balboa

Thanks to veterans of past, present

Thank you, Steve Smith, for acknowledging in your column (Kids These Days: “Military protects your rights,” Jan. 19) the sacrifices of the current all-volunteer U.S. military. These young men and women are not the desperate of our society. They come from all walks of life and have their various reasons for serving in our military. They too realize that they may be placed in harm’s way just like our police officers and firemen. No guarantee of safety is offered to them; no guarantee of wealth is waiting for them.

Thank you also for being honest about your attitude toward the military during the Vietnam conflict. Many Americans felt the same way. But Vietnam was during the last of our “draft” under the Selective Service System.

In 1973, we went to an all-volunteer military. We did not appreciate our Vietnam veterans and in fact despised them. Today, however, we have realized that they were not the problem; they were our heroes.

Let us especially make sure we thank them and all the other veterans of our country who have served to guarantee our four freedoms. For God and country,

Robert Carolan

29th District Adjutant

American Legion

Newport Beach