WELLAND, ONT. - After having coffee at a doughnut shop, Ken Hallett walked outside to his Toyota-made Lexus to head for home.

His daily routine of stopping at the Welland, Ont., coffee shop went from being pleasant to hurtful when he saw a typed note left on the windshield of his car.

The 85-year-old Korean War Veteran said he was shocked by the letter that branded him a "traitor" for driving a foreign car. The letter suggested to Hallett that buying foreign cars and "screwing on a veteran plate is a slap in the face" for the men and women who have served for Canada.

"This is hate literature. We (as veterans) fought for our right to freedom and for freedom of speech," Hallet said.

Those rights include proudly displaying veteran status on any car a person chooses to drive. The veteran said he didn't know who would prepare such a letter nor does he understand why someone would write it.