Letters: Great anthem performance, Sgt. Emily!

AIR FORCE TSgt. Emily Lewis, who performed the National Anthem before the Memorial Day game between the Phillies and the Washington Nationals, should get an immediate ballfield commission to second lieutenant.

At the countless sporting events I've attended or viewed, never has any other singer of the Star-Spangled Banner - professionals and celebrities included - pronounced "perilous" correctly.

Unlike so many inarticulate efforts that resulted in the mispronunciation "peh-ruh-liss fight," TSgt. Lewis, obviously aware that "perilous" actually derives from the word "peril," enunciated the word so correctly and clearly that, somewhere, Francis Scott Key not only smiled, but probably put $50 on Air Force to win the Mountain West Conference this year.

It's nice to hear that an American servicewoman is defending her language as well as her country.

Randy S. Robbins

Philadelphia

nolead begins

I'm writing on behalf of my grandson, Staff Sgt. Matthew McSorley, who's served three tours in Iraq, and one in Afghanistan, and was greeted on his return by the Warriors Motorcycle club at the Philadelphia Airport on May 25.

I've never encountered a more professional and courteous motorcycle group in all the 22 years I had on the Philadelphia police force, where I'd had to arrest several motorcycle groups.

Thanks to Bob Scott for arranging this event and for Chas and his group, the Philadelphia Highway Patrol, and the Lower Moreland police and firemen for helping to make this a deserving event.

The city of Philadelphia does not support our troops like New Jersey does, and even our local townships do better.

Charles McSorley, Philadelphia