I would refer Mr. Williams to Mr. Cleland's autobiography, Strong at the Broken Places (1986 edition), in which he writes on Page 87 regarding his having been awarded the Soldier's Medal "for allegedly shielding my men from the grenade blast and the Silver Star for allegedly coming to the aid of wounded troops..."

"There were no heroics on which to base the Soldier's Medal. And it had been my men who took care of the wounded during the rocket attack, not me. Some compassionate military men had obviously recommended me for the Silver Star, but I didn't deserve it."

And later, on Page 89: "I was not entitled to the Purple Heart either, since I was not wounded by enemy action."

It seems clear to me from their context that these admissions were both truthful and heartfelt. Some might think that an honorable thing would have been for Mr. Cleland to have returned both medals to the Department of the Army or to refrain from exploiting them for political gain.

As for Mr. Chambliss being a draft dodger, I've not heard of anyone else, including Mr. Cleland, making that accusation.

Jim Keagle, Evans, Ga.

--From the Saturday, November 2, 2002 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle