This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

World War II ended 68 years ago, in 1945. That means a 20-year-old entering service in the last year of the war would be 88 now.

Both my parents served and both have passed away, Mom last year at 90.

The protesters marching with Mike Lee and Sarah Palin at the World War II monument look an awfully lot younger than that. The whole episode seems to have turned into a photo op for tea partiers who find it politically advantageous to associate themselves with the "Greatest Generation."

I find it sickening and my parents would, too.

Melissa Hofer

Layton