I just sent in my husband’s check for his subscription to the Checkerboard, which he always looked forward to receiving.

Curtis T. Hibbard was a kind and gentle man. I miss him very much. He was my love and my pal.

I have read many articles and stories about the Battle of the Bulge but know only those who were in it lived the horror and carry the scars forever.

Curtis was a devoted, patriotic man who would have been so proud to receive the following recognition, which did not arrive until after his death on March 28, 2009:

U.S. Army Freedom Team certificate of appreciation from George W. Casey Jr., U.S. Army General Chief of Staff and Secretary of Army;

A certificate signed by President B. Obama, which reads: The U.S.A. honors the memory of Curtis T. Hibbard and is awarded by a grateful nation in recognition of devoted selfless service to our country in the Armed Forces of the United States.

A certificate of nomination: In gratitude for your wartime service, Curtis T. Hibbard upon meeting the strict requirements set forth by the Congress of U.S. of America, shall thereby be accepted for official membership in the American Legion.

Too many years have passed until those words came, but I am so happy to have them, even now.

Margaret Hibbard
1000 S. Orlando Ave., #A22
Maitland FL 32751