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Letters, Sept. 15 By Mail Tribune readers Updated: Sep 14, 2022 04:58 PM A A 9/11 On 9/11/2001, I was a deputy sheriff for a major department in Washington state. I was on duty listening to my AM radio as the events of 9/11 unfolded. It was a day I will never forget. But it was on 9/12 that I observed a change that I wish could have stayed a permanent fixture in our society. As I traveled around in my patrol car and uniform I was greeted by citizens in ways I had never experienced before. It seemed everyone wanted to say thank you and shake my hand. When I stopped to eat it seemed everyone wanted to pay for my meal. I wouldn’t let them but thanked them for their generosity. Everywhere I went it felt like everyone wanted to be my friend. For a couple months, it was a great feeling to see so much appreciation for the job I had. But after about six months it was back to normal. I’m glad I was a law enforcement officer during that time. But it would have been great had the appreciation from 9/11 never ended. So next time you see someone with a badge, let them know they are still appreciated. Thank you. Theadore Campbell Medford Protect children, not guns Tell the Phoenix-Talent School Board to protect our children — not guns. According to the comments attributed to board chairman Michael Chapman in a recent Mail Tribune article, he does not understand that the safety of our children is always our priority. A person’s right to carry a gun doesn’t come anywhere close. We have seen the tragic damage a mentally ill person with a gun can do in a school. Who’s to say a person with a concealed weapon permit might not suffer a psychotic episode, visit a school and create havoc? There is absolutely no reason, ever, for anyone to be given permission to carry a gun in a Phoenix-Talent school. For God’s sake, what will it take to learn? Dave Garcia, former Phoenix-Talent School Board member Medford