Defending Private Ryan

I have read and re-read John Prizer's review of the film Saving Private Ryan (“World War II Meets the Hollywood Hype Machine,” Aug. 9-15).

It is hard to decide if Prizer wants to be cynical or fair in his critique of the film. I do know that if you had been in a line company of U.S. Marines, or the U.S. Army, it is impossible not to be “multi-ethnic” and of that I have personal experience, so I don't understand that point of criticism.

Prizer seems to exhibit a certain glibness that leaves the impression he thinks the whole thing has been done better before. It has not. In the suburban Philadelphia theater I saw old men walk out with tears running down their cheeks. I myself couldn't talk to my son for about 20 minutes. I've never experienced that after Platoon or any John Wayne classic, and I've seen them all. Spielberg's epic was an unstated tale of a different “glory” — duty, like the daily cross.

I have more respect for that generation of my uncles, older cousins, and friends, all of whom fought either in the Pacific or Europe. Oliver Stone and John Wayne never “got it.”

Michael Plunkett

Charleston, Illinois

Mother Teresa, Saint?

I am concerned that Mother Teresa's sanctity apparently can be reliably assessed only through the cumbersome canonical process of beatification and canonization (“Alleged Miracle Stirs Interest in Mother Teresa's Sainthood Cause,” Sept. 13-19, 1998). Such a process might well be useful in examining the life of one dead for decades and known only to a small number of people in one part of the world. But is either factor remotely true of Mother Teresa? If the sanctity of Mother Teresa is not already certain based on everything the world knows about her now, will it really be more certain if some woman in France was inexplicably cured of broken bones? For many centuries, the Church exercised the charism of canonization by acclamation. If such a charism cannot be exercised toward Mother Teresa, perhaps it has been lost forever.

Dr. Edward Peters

San Diego

The Creighton Method

The recent report of the effectiveness of the Creighton Model of Natural Family Planning (“Study Confirms Creighton Method's Reliability in NFP,” Aug. 9-15), brought forth criticism from other NFPprograms. As an NFP-only obstetrician-gynecologist who is also a certified medical consultant and teacher of this method, I cannot speak highly enough of the Creighton program.

The detailed documentation of information imparted to the couple and the case management style of handling problems allows couples of any race, religion, or educational background to learn NFPand be confident with it. It is also invaluable in the management of infertility and gynecological problems that commonly are treated with birth control pills.

We should be grateful for all the hard work and dedication Dr. Hilgers' group has done in putting together and assessing this teaching program. NFP is not contraception, it is fertility awareness. The couple decides how to use the information. God is the one who plans pregnancies.

Dr. Kathleen Raviele

Tucker, Georgia