The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-07-21
GUNS BOOM AND
AIRPLANES BUZZ
Joseph G.. Estey Writes Home of Ar
rival in Camp in France-Big Job
Confronts Americans.

Col. and Mrs. J. Gray Estey have just |
received a letter from their son, Joseph |
g. Estey, member Of the Amherst col |
lege unit which recently went to France |
to engage in the ambulance service The |
letter says in part:
We are here in camp at last After all
our fussing and fiddIing, we are really
here. The camp is very well appointed
and very well run, | should say We got
here yesterday about O'Clock and were
busy unloading baggage and getting
Strengthened out and settled
At last we are near enough the front
to hear the guns booming Last night
we heard the first guns i'll our campaign
All night long we could hear the distant
guns sounding like a continuous thunder
shower. Constantly there is a huge buzz
ing Of airplanes. and any time you look
YOU can see many Of them in the air 1t
is a thrilling sensation to know you are
only a few miles from the front of the
greatest war in history.
| | don't want to get dramatic, but its
enough to make anyones blood tingIe
As you Of course know, we had some
pretty serious excitement on the way
over. Some / shall never forget The
censors are very strict, so you will have
Anyway we are mighty lucky to be alive
and kicking
This morning we have been having mil
itary drill and this afternoon we 90 out
with our trucks for the first time The
trucks are Pierce Arrow, five tons, and
they are beauties. Our section, about 10
in all, expect to get into active service
early next week, that is we leave the camp
and will be actually on duty for the next
three months.
wish YOU could have seen the reccp-
ton the French people gave us, as we left
Paris. We went from headquarters tc
the station IN trucks and everywhere we
were cheercd by enthusiastic Frenchmen
They are very anxious to see American
soldiers over here. 1t means life or deatl
to France She has fought her battle ant
it is up to Ms to take the burden from hel
shoulders. You would realize that If yol
could walk a couple of blocks Comm!
out here yesterday, we saw $4,000 soldiers
French, just out OF the trenches, goin!
home on furlough and ii YOU could hav,
seen those faces, you would need no fur
ther proof Of the horrors of war The,
stood on the platform of the station, star
ing straight ahead as if they saw nothin
at all Great big fellows with the simpl
look on their faces, weak and childish
We have got an awful job, we Amer
n cans. but it has got to be done.
r Got your letters yesterday, and heliev
me they were very welcome We can
realize that mail is from three to fiy
weeks getting to US.
c As | write, | am listening to Frit
If Hymn of Hate" We can hear II
4 guns now Fritz is giving his neighbol
= 4 little Morning Hate according to IL
+ Frenchman
Our section leader is wonderful fello,
!, a man from California. He was CAPITA
= of the 1913 football team. We are lucl
: to get him
i am feeling fine but l would like
- hear from all of YOU You can address n
a letters as before Don't use the addre
= on the back Of this envelope. It's VIII
~ we have to put on to show we have Il
= franl1ing privilege.
In second letter from Mr.. Estey
his parents he says:
!, The work here is harder than blazt
! but we didn't come over here for a p
- nic Our official business is to carry al
II munition in Pierce Arrow hve-ton true
u from the base up to the batteries, and
10 an offensive move to carry 1t further
!, the front, SO that when the guns a
- moved up we have the ammunition the
H. ready for them. At present we are pr;
~ ticng on the trucks, turning arouT
- backing shifting and hauling generally.
have had good luck so far, but some of [
- fellows dtched their cars every time o.
:, This a. m. FIVE out Of 20 were stuck in
80 canal all at once. Great life Then
nj came up and pulled them out ! have {
:, - 50 I can eat war bread drink coffee bla
ho as ink, drink soup out of plate,
in Camcmbert cheese from my fingers, but
=, am damned if | can stomach horse me
,s That's what gets me They bring it
- every day, and it's enough to turn W
49, stomach before you even smell it.