COLD TIMES: Lyle Atwood of Bradford wrote to us after reading
Elmer DeLucia’s comments about the bitter cold temperatures in the
Battle of the Bulge.

Lyle adds, “Many men fought in the cold of winter and hot of the
summer. I for one fought in the Vosges mountains of France and the
snow was two feet deep and the temperatures around the zero mark.
We slept out and made the best with what we had.”

“I received a battlefield commission and went to the 79th
Infantry Division and we went north to clean up the mess that
Hitler had created. Then on across the Rhine and on to end the
war.

“Thank heavens for Harry Truman – the Japanese got a mouthful of
what the Americans could deliver and the world war was over.

“Thank God for all the men who fought to bring that to an
end.”

BEST PETS: Do you have a pet you think is pretty special? Or,
how about, especially pretty?

In January, the Newspapers In Education program at The Bradford
Era is sponsoring a pet photo contest for readers in our
circulation area – McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter counties in
Pennsylvania, and a portion of Cattaraugus County in New York.

There will be three contest categories: dog, cat and “other”
(for those of you with parrots, gerbils, reptiles, etc.)

The top winners in each category and their owners will have
their photo taken and they will appear in the Era. Each winner will
receive a prize basket of merchandise and certificates for pet and
owner, donated by area merchants, with a value of approximately
$100.

So grab that camera and take some photos (pets only please) and
watch for the entry form and contest rules to appear in the
Era.

CALL FIRST: You might want to clip this information and stick it
in your wallet before setting out for a winter trip across
Pennsylvania. PennDOT has a 24-hour, toll-free road condition
hotline at 1-888-783-6783 for interstate conditions.

For additional emergency preparedness and winter safety
information please visit the PA Emergency Management Agency Web
site at www.pema.state.pa.us