Classified or not classified

Dear Editor:
I normally don’t publicly express my thoughts on controversial matters but with what has been happening in Washington D.C. lately, I feel a need to say something. Fifty-three years ago, I served in the United States Army stationed in Germany. I was a member of a Military Intelligence Detachment where we worked with the Air Force which flew reconnaissance flights over the East/West German border. Our unit was responsible for looking over photographs of the area and monitoring activity that might be occurring. This information would be classified.
Proper protocol would have to be followed. You would not take home any classified documents or discuss the information that was gathered. There would be severe consequences if you failed to follow proper procedures in handling the classified information.
Today, we have a defense secretary who on an unsecured means of communication (SIGNAL) discussed times and locations and other details of air strikes against a hostile adversary in Yemen which was in progress. He and others who were on this communication claim that this was not classified information. Our president also claims it wasn’t classified and nothing was wrong with the information being shared on this site. Anyone with a military background in intelligence, I am sure, begs to differ. Putting lives in harm’s way and the destruction of military property should not be taken lightly and dismissed as okay. With all the new technology, our adversaries around the world are constantly monitoring communications so not using a secure means of communication should not be acceptable. Our allies around the world are going to think twice about sharing classified information with the United States making us all less safe.
People who work with classified information and dismiss this issue as not important should not be in charge of our security. We have a president that took classified documents to his home in Florida and stored them where anyone could have gotten access to them. This was not right whether you are a Republicn, Democrat, or Independent. We, as American citizens, need to stand up to this unacceptable behavior. When we get up and look in the mirror in the morning we should ask ourselves, “Is this what we want for our country?” and if not we need to let our voices be heard. Our members of the armed forces are serving to protect our COUNTRY, our CONSTITUTION, and our DEMOCRACY!
A proud Army veteran,
Leslie Johansen, Aurora