'Heartbreaking' accounts of soldiers' families

With regard to your story, Wife of Emirati soldier killed in Yemen still waits for him to call (September 7), I am also a UAE soldier's wife and reading this breaks my heart so badly.

It means so much to me when others express their concern for the welfare of not just the soldiers but also their families.

Nadia Alameri, Dubai

I struggle to even read this story. It's a very difficult subject.

I pray for the safety of all the UAE soldiers and their families all the time. As expatriates, we owe everything to this country.

Christine Rollon Blanco, Abu Dhabi

I can't see for tears when I read this quote from Abeer Eid Al Rida, whose husband was among those who died in Yemen: “I am the wife of the hero. I am the wife of the martyr. He made us proud in his life and in his death. I will always hold my head up high.”

I can't even begin to imagine the pain she is going through.

Judith Cooke Welling, Abu Dhabi

These families will need so much emotional support. May Allah grant them peace.

Name withheld by request

Loss can help build a nation

In relation to the plans to remember the UAE servicemen who died in Yemen (Museum to be built to commemorate UAE's fallen heroes, September 7), I recall that when Australians and New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day, they are not only honouring the terrible toll of war dead from the Gallipoli conflict in 1915 but are also recognising an event that helped forge their concept of nationhood.

Emerging from such traumatic events speaks volumes about a national narrative. In extending my deepest sympathy to the UAE for the tragic loss of 45 of their brave soldiers in Yemen, may I in turn extend my admiration for the resolve, solidarity and determination that the UAE has displayed as it braces itself to the challenge.

These are not the actions of just a country – but of a proud nation.

Matthew Maynard, Abu Dhabi

Pension scheme raises questions

Your editorial, Pension scheme would benefit all (September 8), postulates how part of one's salary could be put into a retirement fund, which would help build the country.

In Australia, this system is called superannuation. Money is to be taken out of one's salary on a monthly basis and put into a specific retirement account.

Expatriates would have to be able to access that money when they leave the UAE, whether to retire or to work somewhere else.

John Paravalos, Dubai

Expatriates working in the UAE need to start planning their exit strategy as soon as they can – it doesn't matter if they arrived here 30 minutes ago, 30 years ago or were born here.

Even if they own property here, they need to show an income to be able to stay and they will have to leave the UAE within 28 days when their visa expires or is cancelled.

All expatriates need to remind themselves that they have to earn their keep in this country.

Muzammil Sk, Dubai

Parents can instil a love of reading

After reading your editorial, Why we need more libraries (September 7), it seems that reading is in decline because in this fast-paced world, fewer people are interested in educating themselves.

The advent of e-learning has contributed to a decline of the habit of reading printed books. I believe it becomes the duty of parents to revive this culture so children are aware that there is something beyond the television, Facebook, texting and playing the latest gadgets.

Parents who want to give their children something real and precious ought to inculcate the habit of reading. It can be a lifelong gift that children will cherish. They say that there are a thousand ways  to nurture and shape a child’s mind but none is better than reading.

Developing a  reading habit – whether a newspaper or a book – is bound to have a multi-dimensional effect on their personality. I know there are many parents who share my belief that reading makes a child more imaginative. They are also more likely to have a stronger bonds with their parents and those around them.

Mathew Litty, Dubai

With the easy access to the internet in the UAE, with almost every student having access to a laptop or some computing device, I think the concept of virtual libraries should be considered.

Randall Mohammed, Dubai