I thank Kevin Smith, John E. Philips and William R. Howe for their replies (June 15) to my response (May 29) to Philips' letter (May 22) damning Europe for not wishing to go it alone in former Yugoslavia - which I remind readers was the point of my own letter.  Had I chosen the title for my letter, it would have referred to the incorrectness of Americans accusing Europeans of doing nothing there.

    The fact remains that Europeans have thousands of troops on the ground there at risk, while the United States has a few hundred well away from the war zones (mostly in Macedonia).  If general war breaks out there, only the U.S. has a large and well-organized military to win it without large casualties.  This is an objective military fact based on worldwise military assets that you can check with any strategist.

    With regards to World War II, the narrow figures of reported battlefield deaths Howe quotes are not relevant to my point - and those figures are not even accepted as battle deaths.  The 25 to 30 million lives Russia lost (of course many of them civilians) are the numbers that count when discussing the issue of "being tired of" losing lives and treasure, not the 7 million Howe mentions.

    Even northern Vietnam (at Tonkin) lost five times as many people as the U.S. did in World War II when the Japanese seized their rice crop and caused many to starve to death.  Even Howe's "British" (Empire and Commonwealth) figures are wrong for they are just British and do not include others, e.g. Australia's  (which Howe claims are included).  Of the now generally accepted estimate of 50 to 55 million World War II deaths, only 400,000 were American.  My original point of numbers of lives lost stands.  With regards to "treasure" lost, that of course includes destruction of industry and infrastructure.  Most of industrial Europe and Asia was destroyed, therefore my point about treasure also stands.

    Finally, Howe misread my comment about Vietnam: I said the U.S. contributed two-thirds of foreign combat units in Vietnam (in fact two-thirds to three-fourths, according to year).  The U.S. of course contributed a much smaller proportion of total combat forces when South Vietnamese units are included in that total.

    Americans have no right to accuse "Europe" of not doing its part in former Yugoslavia - Europe has and is.  And America cannot claim to be tired because America "defeated" Nazism and Communism, because Russians did both (with American help).

    I have great respect for America and what it has done for the world.  But please, Americans, understand: There are other peoples who have done in past wars and are now doing in Yugoslavia much more than you, and if the current mood in America is "tiredness," then others have far, far greater claim to that excuse.