Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1916-07-21
COMMUNICATIONS.
ANOTHER PEN PICTURE OF ARMY
LIFE ON THE BORDER,
To the Editor Of the Reglster

LIFE On The BURDEN
To the Editor Of the Register
As write we are closing our second
week on the Mexican border, and al
though general conditions just now are
more peaceful than when we left YER
mont, our Regiment has been assigned
part Of the actual work Of guarding the
border. Four companies have been as
signed stations to guard, one at a rail-
road bridge only about five miles away
while Company B is to so fifty miles to
watch ford of the Rio Grande. This
is a country of many miles and few
people. Imagine sending an outpost
from Middebury to st, Adams to guard
that city, all food and supplies reach
ing them from the Middlebury base,
Fortunately in this case the trip can be
made by automobile truck, so the men
are not likely to suffer for the neces-
sites. Probably their only enemies
will be centipedes and rattlesnakes, and
vet one of these places may be the point
selected for a bandit raid and the most
important post on the border some par
ticular day. At any rate it is real srmy
work and the First Vermont is proud to
have part in it, especially to be the
first of the six OF eight militia regiments
at this point to be assigned such duty.
Speaking of distances we are as far
from Ell Paso, the largest border city,
as Vermont is from Cleveland, Ohio,
and farther away in the other direction
from Brownsville, where the New York
regiments are, than their home stations
are from Middlebury, In comingto the
border thought might see Mr..
Porter's son, who believe is with the
famous Seventh of New York, or some
of my old friends in Battery A Of the
New Jersey National Guard, but !
find it would involve less travel to
wait to see them after we all get home.
Our nearest city of any size is San
Antonio, which is reported to be a
beautiful and prosperous southern town,
Their newspapers reach us and are
better daily papers than we have in
Vermont.
My position as general relief agent is
coming to be understood and | am kept
busy. Today have distributed over
l5Opairs of goggles and deposited in the
bank 500 received for the use of two
of the companies as they have need. !
have already checked out $40 for com
pany needs for one of them, Several
pathetic cases have been brought to
nv attention of men who have left fam.
lies with almost nothing at home. The
most urgent cases we telegraph to re-
lief committees at home and Gov,
Gates has been furnished with a list f
all enlisted men here with dependent
families. When the order for the dis
charge of such men goes into effect, we
shall doubtless have about fifty cases to
act upon. This will weaken the regi-
ment, but of course it is the right
policy. Wars have to be fought by
boys.
For the past week we have had no
dust storms, but our camp ground has
been like the graded ground in front of
Hepburn Hall after two days rain.
There is nowhere to walk except in the
mud. We are divided in-opinion as to
which is the worst, heat and dust, or
rain and mud, but we are unanimous in
our general feeling toward Texas
weather. Still the life in the open seems
toagree with the men, and we have no
serious illness. Such cases as the doc
tors have had have come from eating
leathery Texas pies. am going to
wait for my pie until | get back to Yer
mont.
There are seven chaplains here and
last Modday we formed an Association,
of which | was elected Secretary. We
plan to meet each Monday and discuss
plans for our common work. A Kansas
chaplain has had $1,000 with which to
build recreation pavilion and equip it.
have no such resources, but | am
building modest shelter for evening en-
tertainments and a reading and writing
room, trusting that the friends back in
Vermont will provide the means through