Peterson: Thank you, Dennis, for your kind words regarding Steven Mayer's story, "Bakersfield man, 95, remembers war ... and peace," which published on Veterans Day.

Alvin Millet very honestly shared his experience of enlisting in the U.S. Navy — and the moments he lived through that he simply can't forget.

As Steve wrote, "And when you listen to a 95-year-old veteran question the meaning of war, the reason they are fought, the futility of it all, you don’t question his patriotism or make one peep about his love for his country."

Well said.

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Reader: Just wanted to say thank you for all The Bakersfield Californian did to help us promote this event (the Veterans Day cruise). Ron Stapp did an exceptional job with his recap story ("Parade of vehicles lifts spirits, honors veterans") in Thursday's paper!

And to add to it, the vehicle on the front page as well as John Boyles' on Page A6 are both veterans themselves who wanted to be part of it. Don’t know if you know it, but many who participated were car owners who are in the annual Veterans Day Parade, so they were excited to be able to participate as well. It was a serious win-win event!! Thanks again.

— Bette Addington

Peterson: You're welcome, Bette. I think we can all agree that people in Bakersfield and Kern County weren't going to let the commemoration of Veterans Day pass by this year, even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. While there was no traditional two-hour-long downtown Bakersfield parade (what other community has a Veterans Day parade of that magnitude?), we instead saw some 400 vehicles participate in a 45-mile cruise around Bakersfield to honor those who served in the military.

Beyond impressive!

Plus, there were many other events designed to make sure veterans know their service and sacrifice are not forgotten. Breakfasts, lunches, barbecues, the long-awaited installation of headstones at the gravesites of veterans at Greenlawn Southwest and more.

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Reader: Thank you for running Greta Van Susteren's opinion piece on Wednesday, Nov. 4. I don't recall reading other opinion pieces by her in the paper before. I hope this won't be the last article by Ms. Van Susteren in the paper. The paper needs opinion pieces like hers.

— Sincerely, Walter Crider

Peterson: I, too, thought Van Susteren's piece was excellent — and so perfect for the day after the election, when we did not yet know the outcome of so many races, especially that for president of the United States.

For those who missed it, in "Biden, Trump are more than the sum of their sound bites," Van Susteren suggests it's a "good time to start extending some grace to those on the other side." As in both ways, Democrats to Republicans, and Republicans to Democrats.

The anchor of Gray TV's "Full Court Press" and Voice of America's "Plugged In" tells one positive story about President-elect Joe Biden, and one about President Donald Trump. She tells a delightful story about Biden extending a ride home from a charity event to a very bored boy of about 12 with the permission of his mom, who clearly knew Biden's position at the time as vice-president, and an equally delightful story of Trump asking Van Susteren to track down a particular struggling veteran, because he was already sending a generous check to forward to him.

Walter, we'll keep an eye out for more pieces by Van Susteren to use in the Opinion section. Some of our sources for non-local opinion pieces (like the Washington Post wire we subscribe to) send those by writers who only submit once, just as some local writers only write once or sporadically. And then of course there are the columnists who write on a regular schedule.