The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-05-24
Times Man Visits War Fleet
Thousand Bluejackets and Eight Thousand
Rockies on Active Duty.
CONTINUED from First PsEe)

| 10 get In. For the old saying holds that
wars are won or lost by boys.
As write am thinking OF
! their homes in all sections OF the land
l and OF their mothers and fathers and
| friends And / shall try in this series
Of letters to answer the questions that
know are being asked in the thousands
Of homes from which letters pour in
here every day. For feel sure that in
/ their replies these youngsters are not
| telling q half OF all their parents want
! to know. Here IL the postcard to be
Csed in the navy during the war.
Seant Information.
NOTHING is to be written on this
side except the dates and signature OF
the sender. Sentences not required
may be crossed out. IL anything else
L. added the post card will be de-
Gtroyed. ......-....-..-... ........
-. .-...........'.-' .'''.''''''''''
I am quite we'll
I have been admitted into hospital.
and am getting on well.
wounded: and hope to return to duty
sick soon.
letter dated. 80.
1 have received your telegram dated. &.
parcel dated. ....
Letter follows at first opportunity.
l have received no letter from you
for a long time.
lately.
Signature
only
Date ...............''.. '..'...''''''
Not a very sociable letter; and it
can be rather alarming in tone, espe-
cIally when a bluetacket here pur-
chases twenty and sends them out to
his anxious relatives and friends with
out taking time to cross anything out
as one youngster did last week.
They are also allowed to write real
letters, which are censored on the
ship. But from the letters 1 have
read rather doubt IL they satisfy
the people at home. So shall do the
best can to put together things they
have said to me, things ] have seen OF
their daily lives. things have guessed
they are thinking and feeling. shall
try tc imagine your questions and re-
all be answered to your satisfaction.
for this is a democracy, and unless
you fathers and mothers, and the
folks living next door to you and the
friends you are meeting every day are
all heart and soul behind these lads,
things will go badly both for them
and the great cause in which they
fight.
Boys Joining the Fleet.
To begin at the beginning, then,
what becomes OF a boy when he signs
on in Chicago or Denver? He comes
here. He used to go to a training
station. but with the recent rush Of
recruits these stations filed to over
flowing, and now the re. ruits are sent
here direct One lad Of eighteen from
Texas told me that he enlisted in San
Antonio on a FRIDAY morning. Tues
day he was here with the fleet.
Homesick? l think that zOmo Of
them are. 1t is easy to tell oy their
faces at times thas many a siNreen-
year-old kid lie sorry he swore he was
seventeen. and is asking them when
this war will end, and wondering IN
a dumb sort OF way, What is this
going to mean to me?' In one home
letter to Oklahoma, carefully
scrswled. that read today, there was
this brief but significant sentence: II
am a long way from home" And be-
low decks just a few hours ago
saw a small stout, red-headed boy on
the floor near the piano where a tall
thin rookie was playing a waltz. II
was one Of those slow, dreamy ones;
the soft pedal was distinctly on. And
the boy on the floor had q woeful
look. l heard him mutter TO a friend.
Gee, but don't music make you feel
rotten"
But he was an exception in that
crowd. Most OF them
soon shake OF such blues. and buckle
manfully down TO work-all except a
few kick -outs" here and there. A
''kick-out" is a boy who will not
take orders from any man, and feels
he has very little TO learn. Unless he
has a change OF heart. he is very
apt TO be soon discharged. Most Of
the rest are just plain healthy aver
age boys, who soon take TO this life
like ducks TO water.
Eat lee Cream and Pie.
Are they being starved on salt pork
and hard tack? They are not. On
this big dreadnaught where am
writing, they have ice cream four
times a week, and pie every other
day. ! saw their electrical ice cream
freezer, and went into the galley
near by-a clean, airy place on an
open deck, its walls painted white,
the air blowing through Here
twenty whitehead mess-men were
beans and potatoes in huge
copper cauldrons, while others on
long copper tables were making a
thousand big meat croquettes. The
bread they serve Is excellent here.
the boys have meat at least twice a
day. and potatoes at every meal. At
noon they have in addition soup and
two vegetables, and dessert. Today