Einstein and His Times

"Letter from Camp Funston" Reading

Introduction to "Letter from Camp Funston"

Life at Camp Funston

Reflections of Army Sergeant Charles L. Johnston

(from http://members.cox.net/\~tjohnston7/ww1hist/)

Charles L. Johnston was my dad.

He died when I was six months old. In a way, his death was an irony. He
served during World War One as a member of Ambulance Company 239, 10th
Sanitary Train, at Camp Funston (part of Ft. Riley) Kansas. He nursed
soldiers during the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919, the worst pandemic
in history, and never fell to the disease. Twenty years later, he died
of peritonitis from a ruptured appendix.

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="1.958267716535433in" height="2.5in"}

My mother passed away in 1992. In disposing of her personal effects, my
sisters and I came across a bundle of letters my dad had written to my
mom while he was in military training. They weren\'t married then. They
were only serious sweethearts. They married in 1919 when he returned
from military service, and they subsequently had six children.

But, because my dad described his experiences in detail, and because my
mother never threw his letters away, we now have a grassroots window on
national and regional history we otherwise would not have had. It is an
account that is too good to keep to myself.

Because of his untimely death, I never got to know him in the real
sense. I have always heard my mom and my brother and sisters talk about
what a great guy he was, and of course I accepted that. But, after
reading his letters, I feel I have come to know him personally.

## 

## *The Birth of Camp Funston*

According to the publication, Cantonment Life at Camp Funston, the
decision to build Camp Funston was made by the War Department in June
1917. Funston was the largest of sixteen divisional cantonment training
camps constructed during World War One. This fact was more than likely
due to its central location (Ft. Riley was initially known as "Ft.
Center" because of its closeness to the geographical center of the
continent). With a capacity of over 50,000, it was to draw trainees from
all the Great Plains states. A committee composed of planning engineers,
landscape architects, and representatives of the U.S. Army Quartermaster
Corps met at Fort Riley and selected a large meadow on the Fort Riley
government reservation, near the Kansas River (also known as the Kaw
River). Construction began July 1, 1917 and the camp was completed
December 1 of that year at an approximate cost of \$10,000,000. It
covered approximately 2 miles of what was referred to as Pawnee Flats.
The camp was named in honor of Major General Frederick Funston, a
colorful figure who had distinguished himself in the Phillipines, Cuba,
and in the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

## *The Zone*

Because of the number of trainees anticipated and the desire for
convenient location of commercial facilities to meet their commerce and
entertainment needs, the Army decided to turn to private business. An
enterprising businessman named H. P. Powers purchased Kellyville, a
small town on the northern edge of the developing Camp Funston. He then
auctioned off lots for the development of stores, theaters and shops. He
changed the name of the town to "Army City".

Although Army City was being developed with private capital, it
nonetheless proceeded under the watchful eye and at the pleasure of the
U. S. Army. The Army called it the "Zone of Department of Camp
Activities and Amusements." Understandably, the recruits shortened that
to "The Zone." It included three theaters with an average seating
capacity of 1900 each, a pool hall with 70 tables, a 40-chair
barbershop, a bank, a drug store, clothing stores, bowling alleys, and
restaurants. Its storefront business grouping was a forerunner of
today\'s malls. The Zone had a frontage of 2,000 feet...a little over
six football fields long. It was a favorite destination for the soldiers
and their guests. The finished construction was said to have cost
\$1,500,000. Each of the concessionaires paid a percentage of their
gross income back to the Camp Exchange.

The Zone was to be short lived, however. The war was over in 1918. With
peace, the Army shrunk. Without the built-in commercial support of
50,000 soldiers, the Zone did likewise. In 1922, it officially ceased to
exist.

Camp Funston still exists, though not as the large installation it once
was. Its main purpose now is temporary housing for military personnel
undergoing special training for duty in Iraq.

## *The Influenza Pandemic*

History documents the 1918 influenza epidemic starting in Spring 1918.
However, Dad\'s letters make no mention of it until the end of
September. Molly Billings, in her excellent site on the 1918 Influenza
Pandemic (see http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/uda/) explains why:

\"\...A first wave of influenza appeared early in the spring of 1918 in
Kansas and in military camps throughout the US. Few noticed the epidemic
in the midst of the war. Wilson had just given his 14 point address.
There was virtually no response or acknowledgement to the epidemics in
March and April in the military camps. It was unfortunate that no steps
were taken to prepare for the usual recrudescence of the virulent
influenza strain in the winter. The lack of action was later criticized
when the epidemic could not be ignored in the winter of 1918.\"

The Manhattan Mercury, a daily newspaper in Manhattan, Kansas, published
an interesting account of how the pandemic affected Ft. Riley and the
surrounding areas. See
http://members.cox.net/\~tjohnston7/ww1hist/flu.html

**Letter from Camp Funston**

(from http://members.cox.net/\~tjohnston7/ww1hist/10-06-18.html)

October 6, 1918

Camp Funston, Kansas

Good morning my dear.

I am writing you a line or so while I am on the job. It\'s about 3 a.m.
and all the poor old boys are resting very well. I am sure some nurse,
believe me. Don\'t even get sleepy on the job. I have been working
nights for about three days now, from 7 to 7 and fight the flies the
whole day long while trying to sleep. I thought I was getting along on
very little sleep when I was home, but this has the world cheated. There
are 15 or so of the fellows to be put back to duty today, but they will
fill the place up as soon as the beds are vacant.

Lots of them go to the base hospital every day and quite a number of
them are \"checking in\" but there is bound to be as there are between 6
and 7,000 cases in the camp. I sure wish that they would all get well,
for I am rearing to come home, believe me.

One of the boys played wise and got sick while he was home, his mother
being ill. He is down with pneumonia, so will have a prolonged visit
while home. Think I will try that when I come, eh! I guess they have
this influenza dope in most every camp in the U.S., but I feel perfectly
safe right here with it all the time. I feel fine and dandy and eat like
a starved hog. I think I will forget all I ever knew about drill and all
the other Army dope, for we have to run this just like we see fit, and
as about 30 of the boys of our Company are in the hospital now, we are
shorthanded for nurses. You better come up and take a job. We have 5
lady nurses, but only one works at night, so you can get on the same
shift as I am.

Sure wish I was there to spend the Sunday with you. I expect, in fact I
know, that we will work today the same as any other day, for there is no
one else to do the work. I never did know that a sick fellow was so hard
to wait on before. These birds almost chase you to death after water or
pills or something else all the time. They all have high fever and kick
the covers off as fast as one can cover them. When the fever gets too
high, we must give them sponge baths to run down the temperature. Each
of our men has about 20 patients, so you see we are pretty busy rookies.
I guess that I didn\'t know any of those boys that died, which you wrote
of.

Well sweetheart chick, I have spilled about all the gossip that I can
think of with this dead for sleep head of mine. Goodnight, honey. Write
me a big fat letter.

Always your man,

Charles L.