A claim that the current president has failed to "go to the D-Day Monument" (Letters, Oct. 20) is false.
Traditionally, U.S. presidents do not attend yearly commemorations of the D-Day landings in France. The first to go was President Ronald Reagan on the 40th anniversary in 1984, followed by President Bill Clinton on the 50th anniversary in 1994, President George W. Bush on the 60th anniversary in 2004, and President Barack Obama on the 65th anniversary in 2009.
Although it is true that Obama did not attend in 2010, 2011 and 2012, you can see that the statement, "In all the 65 (actually 68) years of D-Day, there are only three occasions when the president of the United States of America has failed to go to the D-Day Monument" is blatantly untrue.
It is probably certain that the president, whomever he may be, will be there for the 70th anniversary in 2014.
Charles M. Hirata
Wailuku
