To the editor:

At noon July 11, a kind, understanding and patriotic unknown couple paid for my lunch at Candie’s. My cap indicated WWII veteran.

Many thanks for their consideration. For thier information, I sailed with 8,000 troops from San Fransisco, stops at New Zealand, Australia, Clean, disembarking at Suez.

I was one officer with 100 trained construction soldiers with construction experience. We built permanent self-sustaining large BT runways spending a year at each in Dakar French West Africa, Tripoli, Saudi Arabia and expanded the Cairo airport.

Purpose was preparation for the expected Russian war. Fortunately, you might say we scared the “Desert Fox” out of North Africa and I did not see desert action.

Another reason was because I am blind in one eye due to an exploding dynamite cap when I was ten. I had found one at the Lake Linden mill.

Of interest was that no one ever asked me how I got in the service. The real reason must be left a secret. Here’s hoping this is seen by that kind couple.

Elmer Dupuis

Lake Linden

St. Louis, Missouri