Not equivalent

I was stunned by Victor K. Barbiero’s suggestion Peace Corps volunteers be granted medical treatment, commemorative license plates and other federal benefits such as those granted to many disabled military veterans like myself (“Honor veterans of peace,” Letters to the Editor, Nov. 11). I had occasion to visit Albuquerque’s Veterans Administration Murphy Hospital, where one can meet many service veterans with combat-related issues: amputations, pulmonary problems from Agent Orange, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc. It takes a lot of gall to equate volunteer service with the Peace Corps, which I wholly support, with military service, where we’ve put our lives on the line for our country. Richard Connerty Española