FIGHTERS NOT JUNKIES

I appreciate letter writer David Wolf's concern for Air Force pilots being
given amphetamines to bolster them while on some flights ("Speeding
pilots," Monday). Perhaps, though, he needs a history lesson concerning the
use of these so-called "pep pills."

This type of amphetamine was used as a stimulant, with some 72 million
tablets handed out to both Allied and Axis armies by the end of World War
II. Pilots and soldiers alike used them to stay awake during days of
continuous combat or flying with little or no sleep.

I know the practice continued during the Vietnam War, so it doesn't
surprise me to hear it is still going on. However, it certainly doesn't
mean we have an Army or Air Force of junkies.

Howard Phil Howard Jr.

Live Oak