BOOK: Of interest in North Idaho

Back in June my wife and I spent a few days in Coeur d’Alene, which we had never visited before. We had a delightful time, enjoying the lake and some of your fine restaurants. We also drove up into the mountains to see some of the now-inactive gold mines.

We like to keep up with the news, and I was especially struck with a couple of items in the June 12 edition of this newspaper. There was a major article about the new Pappy Boyington statue going up at the airport; we hadn’t realized that this World War II Marine ace fighter pilot came from your town. There was also a letter to the editor scolding you for not having noted the anniversary of D-Day, just a few days earlier.

These items gave me the impression that there must be quite a few people in Coeur d’Alene who are interested in that war, and so I take this opportunity to let you know about a new book then nearing completion, and now available for purchase, that the Umatilla County (Oregon) Historical Society, where I am a volunteer, has just published. It is called War on All Fronts and is a collection of nearly a hundred reminiscences by people living — or formerly living — in this area.

The reminiscences contain participant accounts of the Normandy landing, the Battle of the Bulge, crossing the Rhine with Patton, the battle of Iwo Jima, dropping the first atomic bomb, slogging through Burma with General Merrill’s Marauders, “buzz bombs” (V-1 rockets) over London, and fighting on several Pacific Islands. In addition, there are thorough discussions of what life on the home front was like. The book may be purchased from any bookseller or ordered from online booksellers.

And thanks for the fine vacation.

JACK T. SANDERS

Pendleton, Ore.