Opera House joins Ramada Express in Laughlin in their ignorance of what branches constitute the Armed Forces of the United States. Once again the outstanding and frequently unheralded Armed Force "United States Coast Guard" has been slighted by not being recognized as one of the "5 Branches of the United States Armed Forces".

To the Opera House powers-that-be: Ask any U.S. Marine who fought in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War what they think of members of the United States Coast Guard who risked their lives getting them to the beaches to fight and beat our foes. Ask the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine personnel who received offshore gun support and arms interdiction patrols on inland waterways in Viet Nam what they think of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The U.S. Coast Guard's only Medal of Honor recipient is Douglas A. Munro, the coxswain of a landing craft who lost his life in battle while putting himself and his craft in harms way to save the lives of countless Marines going ashore during battle.

My only consolation is that members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force know that the U.S. Coast proudly stands beside them as brothers and sisters in arms in time of need.