Tragedies caused by broken promises can be seen everywhere

To the editor,

Back around 1940, the cowboy singing group, the “Sons of the Pioneers” recorded a song “Heartbreak Hill”, about the “vale of broken promises where the sun never shines”.

As the effects of broken promises were in cowboy times, so the effects of broken promises are in New Hampshire today.

One set of broken promises occurred back all those many years ago, in WW II. A WW II Infantry Division had about 16,000 men in it. Of the 16,000 men, only about 3,000 were actually riflemen. The riflemen served “on line” meaning that they had no chance to get in out of the winter weather. Someone in the army realized that the riflemen needed, desperately needed, winter boots. So the army shipped enough “Maine Shoepacs” from LL Bean to Europe, intended for the 3,000 riflemen in each infantry division. However, none of those winter boots ever reached the riflemen because the troops in the services of supply took care of themselves first, never mind the agony they caused among the riflemen. Due to the fact that the riflemen continued to be shod with summer-time boots, in my division alone, 4,000 of our riflemen were evacuated to the medical aid stations with “trenchfoot”. “Trenchfoot” is a form of frozen feet, and trenchfoot meant the amputation of one of both feet. Only when General Patton came to our aid did we riflemen got some protection from the winter. Of the officers in our chain of command, only General Patton gave a “hoot” about the well-being of the riflemen.

In WW II the troops in the services of supply took care of themselves first. And so it is with office holders here in New Hampshire; they take care of themselves first, never mind that to do so they must break their oath of office, and never mind the agony they impose on the rest of the citizens of New Hampshire, never mind the callous indifference they have to the suffering of the people of New Hampshire. So here too, we see instances where the effects of public policy could be called “heartbreak hill”. We see too many instances in N.H. where (unnecessarily) “the sun never shines”, all because of officeholders who break their promises (to support and defend the Constitution). And all because our officeholders now take care of themselves first, no matter the agony they cause others, like those in the services of supply in WW II, who “took care of themselves first”.

Tragedies caused by broken promises are present and can be seen “everywhere” in the State of New Hampshire. I am nowhere close to being a General Patton, but as General Patton did for we private riflemen in WW II; now, as a Representative to the N.H. State Legislature, I'll do what I can, to alleviate as much as I can, of the agony being caused by broken promises.

Rep. Robert Kingsbury

Laconia