Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-05-16
ANTON BERNATz
WRITES FROM ARIZONA
Decorah Boy i'm Regular Army Tells
About Some Experiences Since
Enlisting.
STATIONED DOUGLAS. ARiZ.
AT THE PRESENT TIME
Has Enlisted for a Period of Seven
Years, And Likes the Regular
Army Life.

Anton Bernatz, son of Mr.. and
Mrs. William Bernatz, of this city
who recently Joined the regular
army il Chicago. and is now sta
toned at Douglas, Arizona, wrote the
| following letter to Arthur Holm last
week, and it was given to us for
publication, and will be found very
interesting:
Douglas, Arizona,
May 4, 1917.
My Dear Friend Art
received your letter this noon
and was sure glad to hear from you
| received only one paper, so far
and l want to thank you for sending
it. | hope to get them every week
after this. So you want me to write
you everything about the army since
Joined in Chicago 1 will do my
best, but you want to look it over
pretty good, before you put it in the
paper. When l went to the recruit
ing station in Chicago I had to 60
through an examination, but did not
take the oath there. The night OF
that same day l left for Jefferson
Barracks, Missouri, with about thir-
ty-six other fellows. When we ar
rived we had to take another exam
ination and that took the whole day.
thing they hand you. Some of the
boys, after being at the Barracks a
day or two, would desert. There
were two out of our crowd who did
hat, but they would get ''theirs" in
a couple of days, and in the guard
house they would go. They give you
three typhoid inoculations to pre-
vent you from getting typhoid. | was
there about two weeks AID had to
drill two hours a day.
The day before we left We had to
take another examination, which
consisted mostly of testing your
heart, and if you had heart trouble
you got a discharge. 1t took us
three days and two nights to get to
Arizona. On the way one of the boys
got the measles, and we were all put
in. quarantine for fourteen days. The
fourteen days are up now, but the
measles have been spreading, and
about fifty got them, so they quar-
antined us for fourteen more days
felt little sick one day and
thought sure had the measles, but
| went to the doctor and he said ]
didn't have them.
We have to drill four hours a day,
About a week ago we had a sand
storm that lasted four days, and you
couldn't see anything. 1t blew a
few tents down and the sand would
get in your eyes and all over you
The name of this camp is "CamI
Harry j. Jones'" 1t is named after
private killed in the battle of Auga
Prita. which is just across the bor-
der from Douglas. They kill a
Mexican, or two, down here every
day when the Mexican tries to gel
over the border.
There are about 5000 soldiers
here. They send out certain num-
ber every month to guard the rail
road bridges, tunnels and other gov.
ernment property,
Before you go on guard you have
to learn thirteen rules and ther
when you get on post you have tG
learn some more special orders fol
that post l was on guard for TWEEN
ty-four hours at Jefferson Barracks
and it rained nearly all night. We
have been having rifle practice fol
the last couple of days, and believt
me, there is some kick to these ri
fes. They are worse than a twelve
gauge shotgun.
/ bought big picture OF the camp
and sent it home. Ask Carl to lei
you see it. 1t cost me whole dol
lar. You can see the mountains al
around the camp. This is a large val
ley.
The regular U. S. army is the onl!
thing for fellow to join. You can
not get to be any kind OF non-com
missioled officer, such as corpora
or sargeant, until you know all tn
drills and can teach them to others
enlisted for seven years. If the wa
lasts only three years l can get ou
In three years on the reserve, but l
lit lasts seven years l will have t
serve seven years.
Well. l must close now. as 1t I
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