Member Feedback

Camp Hale

Shelly Steig's well-written article about Camp Hale [July/August, page 38] was obviously thoroughly researched. However, she missed one important event that is still my most vivid memory of Camp Hale. In May 1943, I was 18 years old, seriously ill with rheumatic fever, lying in bed in the Camp Hale hospital. Jinx Falkenburg visited our ward, wearing a red dress and red shoes.

-W. J. D. Kennedy, Boulder

Shelly Steig's article on Camp Hale primarily refers to the 10th Mountain Division's training in World War II. During the Korean War, a special unit of the 5th Army was created at Fort Carson-the Mountain and Cold Weather Training Command-which taught rock climbing in North Cheyenne Canyon outside Colorado Springs in the summer and skiing at Camp Hale in the winter.

At Camp Hale we slept in eight-man plastic squad tents on the demolished barracks foundations. The tents were heated by oil stoves which had to be turned off at 10 p.m. as they were highly flammable. In sleeping bags on cots, we shivered through many subzero nights.

This unit was stationed at Camp Hale much longer than the 10th Mountain Division, from 1951 until 1956. We had many notable mountaineers in the unit, including Jim and Lou Whittaker. Jim was the first American to climb Everest. Lou climbed K2.

-Kent B. Johnson, Evergreen

Just wanted to let you know that you either spelled the city wrong or put it in the wrong state in the Camp Hale article. Pittsburgh has an "H" if you want the city in Pennsylvania. Without an "H," it belongs in Kansas. Enjoyed the article, though!

-Susan Athey, via email

Editor's Note: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the city in question, spelled incorrectly in the article.

E85 comments

While I am not oblivious to the thought that discussing alternative fuels at all might already be a stretch for an organization like AAA, it needs to be pointed out that while ethanol seemingly solves some problems, it clearly raises others.

First, the payback is very moderate at best, when all the energy that goes into the production of ethanol is counted honestly. Second, and more importantly, the use of ethanol for fuel is driving up corn prices and thus food prices everywhere. Tortillas are the main staple for many people in Mexico, and the rise in corn prices has meant a doubling in their food budgets.

In the end, corn is not really a renewable energy source—it's food, for crying out loud.

-Peter Brebach, Manitou Springs

Editor's Note: We received many letters on this topic. At this time, AAA Colorado does not take an official stance either for or against any fuel. The article's goal—as in previous articles on other alternative fuels and fuel technologies—was to present basic information about using the fuel, without attempting to address wider social and political implications. These implications certainly exist for all fuels, and AAA encourages members to share their views and concerns.

Shop supplies

I can't believe that you say "shop supply charges are a legitimate part of the automotive industry." [July/August, page 43.] What if grocery stores charged you for each bag that they use to bag your groceries? For the container for your salad bar purchase? These are a cost of doing business and should be built into the cost of the services. I personally will not return to auto repair shops that add these charges to my bill.

-Susan Brind'Amour, Dillon

AAA has disgraced itself and attempted to delude its members by endorsing this greedy practice. AAA should conduct a nationwide campaign denouncing shop supply fees, and urge its members to patronize only shops that do not charge them. Furthermore, AAA should continue to advocate for its members, not the repair shops, and withhold its recommendation from shops that do charge fees for shop supplies.

-Ralph Witkovich, Lafayette

Editor's Note: To the best of our knowledge, all auto repair shops charge these fees, whether they are itemized separately on your repair bill or not. As the first correspondent noted, shop supplies are a cost of doing business. The only difference is that auto repair shops, unlike other businesses, customarily break out their supply charge and show it openly on the bill instead of hiding it in the cost of their products or services. However this practice came about, AAA Colorado believes that revealing shop supply costs contributes to honesty and fair dealing. Repair shops that do not show their supply charge on the bill still have this charge, and you are still paying it-perhaps through slightly higher hourly rates, or added into other charges.

Alternative energy

As a long-time AAA member, I agree completely with your recent message in EnCompass [July/August, page 6]. Please continue to be "an objective source of information" about alternative energy and related issues. The AAA official national policy stated in the article is excellent. Please do not allow AAA to become politicized with respect to questionable issues like global warming, E85 and so on. As a professional mathematician and scientist, I believe many of these issues have already become so "politically correct" in Washington that all meaningful dialog has ceased.

-Frank Witte, via email