Your November 6 issue carried an article by Henry Hessing in which he states that President Clinton "Hid out in England to dodge his duty" during the Vietnam conflict.

It should be noted that our present commander-in-chief avoided service in Vietnam by joining the Texas Air National Guard, a service he didn’t complete, using influence to enter ahead of others.

While it may be argued that there is a difference in the method used, both were legal, it is certain that the results were the same. Both men avoided service in Vietnam where thousands of Mr. Hessing’s comrades died.

It is well and proper that Mr. Hessing is proud of his service to our country. It was not unusual during the Vietnam period for draft age men to avoid military service by various means. A few who did so, who are now prominent, are Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Bill Krestol and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Vincent Ryan,

Babylon