The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-11-14
Plenty Of Work and Poison
Bugs Kept Things Lively
For Mlssourlans
CAPT. ". y.koLB HEARS FROM
HIS NEPHEW IN ST. LOUIS
Latter In Letter Says "Men Are
Going to Vote For
Hughes"

Life on the near.front down Mexico
way hasn't been all pomp and circum.
stance, according to q letter received
by the adjutant Of the First Regiment
Of the Hawaiian national guard. Capt.
w. V. Kolb, from his nephew P. Earl
KOlb in st. Louis regiment of the
Missourians. Judging from this letter,
the Missouri boys "enlisted for the
war; and there being no answer to
the puzzle, Find the war" the bot.
tom dropped out of their enthusiasm
g liked the experience fine, "rwrites
young Kolb, land / think you would,
too, but was glad to get back for
was afraid L would have to spend a
year or two down in that country. II
would be shame to give it to Car.
rama.
alt was a bad country to live in,
though, and we were not prepared to
live comfortably under the circun.
stances. 1t was better during the last
two weeks. They built a screened
mess hall for each company, put cleo.
trio lights in each tent, gave us show.
er baths, plenty to eat, plenty Of cloth.
es and equipment, and most of all,
cots. We all cheered when we got our
cots as we had been sleeping in the
dust which was ankle deep and full
Of poison bugs. They would not let
us FIJI our bed sacks.
Fine Lot Of Men On Border
awe had a fine lot of men, healthy.
fine looking and fine personally. After
getting clothes and equipment and be.
ing drilled for while we made the
regulars look like rockies They said
was because the war department was
breaking up their regiments and form
ing new ones. The Ninth Infantry
only had about forty.fve men to a
company.
u was on the border for two
months and one month in the mobili-
EatiOn camp at Nevada, Missouri. |
stayed with the regiment until we got
back to the mobilization camp from
the border and then they sent me home
The regiment stayed there two weeks
more and were then mustered out and
sent to st. Louis. Only two officers
and the men whose time was up got
ont on the border, although about
three hundred men put in application
for discharge because of having de
pendents or being students. The whole
machine gun company were students at
the University of Missouri Only my
self and nine more got discharges and
did not put in for mine until late,
and then on account of my mother,
who is getting old and was worrying.
do not know how / got it 40 easily.
We ten were all sergeants.
win Not Be in Reserve
1--WE do not have to serve in the re-
serve, but the men whose enlistmen nj =
ran out on the border have to put in
three years in the reserve.
1.-THE regiment was mustered back
into the guard. The officers do not
know where they stand. Some men
are not showing up for drills some
men want to go out Of the State; some
want discharges, as they only enlisted
for the war. And they have more
equipment than they know what to do
with, but it is all blue uniforms.
| con the border we drilled every day
and had about two hikes q week. At
first we started in with eight miles,
and then went up to sixteen. Each
| regiment was one week on the rife
range and each regiment was supposed
10 do six weeks border duty, but we
did not stay long enough,
"The New Hampshire boys surprised
the regular Army officers. They
brought down overcoats. and did TWEEN,
ty.four miles a day hiking with their
overcoats In their blanket rolls. II was
fifty degrees when they left their mo
bihsation camp. 81,
owe only got look ut Mexico. The
bridge was guarded day and night, and
no one was allowed to cross. Nuevc
Laredo was the Mexican town across
the river from us. II was on the
shortest route to Mexico City.
awe left for home two days after
the big review, and it was some re
viewl There were c Company, Engi
lheers; twelve companies Of coast artil
lery; Ninth United States Infantry
First, Second, Third and Fourth Mis-
souri, Infantry; First Maine Infantry
First New Hampshire Infantry; Field
HOSPITAL of Missouri; three batteriei
of Missouri Field Artillery; one troOI
Of Missouri cavalry, and three troop
ipf the Fourteenth United Stntes Cav
airy. There was total Of about 20 ,00(
men.
GAS to the new law, we do no
know very much about it. We had 1
war-strength regiment on the border
as we had about five hundred enlist
ments before we left"