To the editor:

The students of Lake Placid High School were once again fortunate to have had the opportunity to listen and learn as Mr. Bernie Baillergeon recounted his experiences before, during, and upon his return from deployment in Vietnam. This is the second year he has so graciously shared with our students his time and firsthand experiences. The students are reading Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,” and Mr. Baillergeon’s participation in the conflict offers our students rare insight into those tumultuous times and the war experience itself. As he did last year, he held the junior class enthralled with his observations and anecdotes. Despite what he has said to me this year and last, he is a very effective speaker.

Mr. Baillergeon, is an individual who cares enough about young people to agree to putting himself in a setting that is foreign and uncomfortable. We are lucky to have him as a living, breathing primary source from which our students can learn.

Thank you, Mr. Baillergeon, and as always, thank you for your service.

John Mullane

English teacher

Lake Placid Middle/High School

Lake Placid