Dear Dave, Have just read the Operation Desert Storm OB that you and Greg Novak have done (in CPQ 4-ed.). What a superb piece of work. In my judgement GDW, as an organization, should be immensely proud of the work you and Novak have done. Coupled with your efforts on Phase Line Smash, GDW has done a really professional job both in terms of gaming and historically. The commentary for both is among the best-reasoned and researched on ODS which I have read. In short, you guys do good work. As I scanned the OB, it all came rushing back-the hair on the back of my neck bristled. To your gamers the OB adds an element of interest. To me it recalls pain, suffering, exhaustion, fury, fear, and love of soldiers and soldiering. To me those little stands of Armor represent living, breathing people and units with discrete personality. Again, congratulations. I will treasure the order of battle forever as a tribute to all of those who served in the desert, over it, or at sea in the theater. Thank you. --Greg Fontenot, Colonel Armor, Dreadnought 6 "Emeritus" (Colonel Fontenot was the commander of 2-34 Armor during Operation Desert Storm, leading them in the G-Day breaching operation and the Battle of Objective Norfolk. He is currently the Director of the School for Advanced Military Studies at the US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.) It's hard to know how to respond to a letter like this, except to note that I can probably die happy now. Not everyone will agree with my approach to this job, but so what. It is my firm belief that if all we do in this hobby is play games, without respecting the reality beneath the cardboard squares or miniatures stands, we are merely killing time until we die. These units reflect real flesh-and-blood people who gave up their comfort, safety, and sometimes their lives, for reasons which bear at least examination and respect, if not always admiration. If these "games" are not tributes in some fashion to their humanity, and call us to think about them and the meaning of what they did, then this is a vain enterprise indeed. I try to make that philosophy shine through the work that l do, and fervently hope thata lot of other people have the same philosophy as l do, and appreciate it the way you have. However, even if I never find corroborating evidence for that hope, the fact that it moved you is sufficient reward for me. Speaking for myself and Greg Novak, I can only say, you're welcome, and thank you, and all soldiers who create the reality: flesh, blood, bone, and soul, behind what we do. --David Nilsen, Romantic Wacko Back to Table of Contents -- Command Post Quarterly # 6 To Command Post Quarterly List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by Greg Novak. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com