Checkerboard is worth the money
Dear Bill and Donna,
Loved your fifth issue 2003 letter from some scrooge whining because the Checkerboard ain't what it used to be.
That can be said with far more accuracy about all of us. This may be the first, last, and only complaint addressed to the two of you. At its under-pressure skimpiest, your Checkerboard compares favorably with any other division association newspaper I've seen.
Just by itself, Robert Humphrey's history of the 99th is more than worth the $10 I'm enclosing with this letter. Humphrey's portrayal of General Lauer is long overdue. I always thought the Bulge fiasco was evidence of his military smarts until reading in the past five years what Army "intelligence" and Eisenhower-Bradley contributed. Obviously, Lauer was no George Patton or, for instance, he could have protested the enormity of the 20-mile front given the 99th to hold in a dense woods. Maybe Eisenhower-Bradley and rear echelon honchos would have listened.
Humphrey is even better with his account of the dynamics of the ASTP soldiers meeting with the non-coms, officers, and fellow grunts. No one has ever drawn this picture better.
As for your complainer, he needs to have his TS card punched and go tell his sad story to the chaplain.
Best to both of you in all 2004 and beyond, and thanks again for a great Checkerboard.
Elliot Wager M/393
7505 West Yale Ave. #2805
Denver CO 80227
