A military parade would only be to honor, celebrate and defend Trump

So, Trump wants to have a fascist-style military parade. Do his supporters need any more clues that he’s an unstable megalomaniac? We already have Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July to celebrate and show gratitude to our armed forces ( and I’m not saying these are too much. They probably deserve more ).

Whereas these are celebrations for the good of the people and the country, military parades, despite Trump’s rhetoric, are always about the man — “dear leader” or “der fuhrer” or “il duce,” etc.

I wonder if any number of Trump’s supporters will finally say “Enough. I can’t support this!” They so easily turned out and said as much last fall to protest NFL players expressing the pain they felt that people of color don’t count in this country. And, no, the players were not disrespecting the flag or our military’s efforts in protecting our freedom. On the contrary, they were acknowledging and honoring them.

We need no more displays of Trump’s ability to honor, celebrate and defend only himself.

Jim Koppensteiner, Wheeling

Medical Examiner’s Office doing the job

I recently read an article detailing alleged deficiencies in the investigation section at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. I also had the pleasure of reading Dr. Ponni Arunkumar’s eloquent response to the article. I am writing to reassure the citizens of Cook County that their Medical Examiner’s Office is serving them well and will continue to do so under Dr. Arunkumar’s leadership.

I had the great privilege and honor of serving as chief medical examiner in Cook County for almost four years. When I began in 2012, the investigators were visiting about five death scenes per month; by 2016 they were responding to 100 scenes a month.

In 2012, national certification by the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators was a rarity; now all new investigators are required to undergo certification (union restrictions kept the Office from requiring certification for investigators who were already in place).

The culture of the Office has changed fundamentally. No longer are investigators hired based on “who do you know.” Rather, qualified applicants are vetted through the County Human Resources division in an orderly, structured manner. During my tenure, we were fortunate to hire Chris Kalka to be our chief investigator. His rigorous attention to detail ensures that our investigations are carried out in compliance with national standards.

Stephen J. Cina, MD, Former Chief Medical Examiner, Cook County