Contrary to TV ad, Reynolds isn't hero

Ambushed trooper Joseph A. Longobardo was murdered, and trooper Donald Baker Jr. was critically wounded. By definition and acclamation, they are genuine heroes.

Also, the recent anniversary of Sept. 11 reminds us of hundreds of heroes - firefighters, law enforcement and civilians affected on that day.

Tom Reynolds' TV advertising, featuring retired Air Force Reserve Col. W. Robin Pfeil and retired New York Air National Guard Lt. Col. Mark C. Crocker, is defended by a right to express their views politically, as all citizens are. A platitude well defended.

Pfeil's repetitive statement, "Tom Reynolds is a hero," defames genuine heroes. Reynolds, countless citizens, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-NY, and Sens. (Hillary) Clinton and (Charles) Schumer, have contributed to saving the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. Tom Reynolds is no hero.

The ad's closing was, "I'm Tom Reynolds, and I approve this message." So Reynolds thinks himself a hero? Reynolds is no hero.

Condemning Doug Turner by the two military retirees doesn't spin their hero labeling. What's their comment on Turner's Labor Day column, revealing House Majority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, reportedly raising $10,000 a day from special interests?

This parallels Reynolds' corporate jetting and fund raising legalized by Reynolds' co-sponsored lobbying bill, which Nancy Tate, executive director of the League of Women Voters, characterized as "one of the biggest congressional shams in years."

Reynolds is no hero. Nearly 2,700 American service members have been killed in Iraq, with 19,000 wounded. Among them, there are genuine heroes. Tom Reynolds is no hero.

Robert Roach Gentwood Drive

Clarence