TREE TIME: Dorothy D. Tracey of Claremont, Calif., born and
raised in Kane and a resident of California for 50 years, writes:
“Fortunately I get back to the ‘hilltop’ once or twice yearly. I
log on to RTS daily and enjoy it immensely (hanging deer banter and
all). The ‘Trees’ today added to my nostalgia.”

One item we forget to mention in our trees paean:
toothpicks.

THIS, TOO: Lee McCollough adds to our previous information on
Tommy Cardamone who boxed under the name of Tommy D’Arcy: “He also
was a barber after boxing and had a shop on Mechanic Street. He had
a younger brother Frankie and another brother and sister. He lived
on Interstate Parkway Extension and had a beautiful wife named
Louise and a daughter. I lived next to him (1943).”

TIMES REVIEW: We all know about Ernie Pyle’s written tributes to
the Zippo lighter during World War II. But how many knew that many
soldiers in Vietnam considered their Zippos to be “amulets and
talismans bringing the keeper invulnerability, good luck and
protection against evil” in the war?

That interesting perspective is all part of a new book titled
“Vietnam Zippos” by Sherry Buchanan. The book was featured in The
New York Times Book Review for Dec. 2 in the “visual holiday books”
category and earns its spot in this special category by being
filled with illustrations of Zippos from artist Bradford Edwards’
collection.

Buchanan notes in her book that Zippos during that era were
often emblazoned with combat slogans, peace symbols and cartoon
characters, along with a few other symbols reflective of the
counterculture of the 1960s. When sold at stalls in Vietnamese
villages, the lighters were custom-engraved there with “slogans,
mantras and poems,” such as, “When I die, I will go to heaven
because I spent my time in hell.”

The review points out an obvious but often overlooked fact:
Zippos, along with other objects that a soldier carries, provide a
raw look into the hearts and minds of these troops, and, sadly
enough, often serve as a soldier’s “last testament.”