Re: The Sept. 3 front page Gazette article about hazing: I graduated from AFA 60 years ago, and there was hazing back then. Lots of it. For years afterward, when confronted by a random superior and given verbal correction, we’d often say, “I’ve been hazed by experts, and this guy’s got nothing.” Yes, it made us tougher. But make no mistake, we did not need hazing then and we certainly don’t need it now.

What I see from my vantage point is a change in the definition of “hazing”. Physical injury or duress was generally the defining measure back then.

Now we can have sexual assault from someone “staring” at another person. Yelling seems to be the next level of assault.

Consider the beautiful snowflake. Each one different, and none of them able to withstand heat or pressure. Does anyone want an army of snowflake warriors? Will searching for micro-aggressions make us a more effective fighting force? Or should we be teaching warriors to ignore i

nsignificant wounds and concentrate on the objective? Perhaps the snowflake would be better served by attending a civilian university with an easier path and no demand of service to the country to follow.

The armed forces needs warriors, not social services. No snowflakes, please.

Hank Hoffman, AFA class of 1963 Colorado Springs