A reader who is a physician and a veteran writes to dissent from my view on Springsteen’s “Fortunate Son” performance. Great letter; I’m grateful to the reader for giving me permission to publish this here:

You are correct of course about the meaning and message of “Fortunate Son.” Perhaps none of the veterans attending the concert really minded (especially if they served in Vietnam). And yet…

As a veteran who served in Afghanistan, I think the song might raise some conflicted feelings in me—and some other vets—at such an event, however well-intended it might be. I think that most of those who served in Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi Freedom were well aware of the lessons of Vietnam, and yet volunteered, believing in the call to duty and praying that our political leaders would be wiser. Despite the recent debacle in Iraq and the loss of territory previously bought with American blood, I have heard no veterans of Iraq (and I talk with many of them) say that this has caused them to regret having served. By and large, they are not bitter. And though they  understand and often sympathize with the bitterness of many Vietnam vets, rarely do they share it. (There have been a few exceptional cases in the media, but remarkably few, all things considered.) I remember one of the first Desert Storm veterans that I was treating for PTSD, who was assigned to a therapy group largely composed of Vietnam vets. He later came to me, refusing to continue in the group. He said, ”Those guys are bitter, and many of them are ashamed of having served. That’s not me. I saw some bad things over there, but I’m proud that I served. I can’t relate to these guys.”

So the song, while perhaps not an anti-war screed (and yet, in some sense, it was), does dredge up a host of feelings that, in other days, threatened to tear the country apart. And—fairly or not—by mere association it recalls a time when many who served were, in fact, vilified.

The best choice on a day dedicated to gratitude and the celebration of sacrificial patriotism? I’m not so sure.