Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-12-12
A'ecorah Captain II. 'edical Corps
Transferred From mp Dodge
to Kansas -
MADE THE TRIP
IN HIS AUTOME LIE
says Zero Weather Has Got Them All
Going. Half OF Men i'm His Group
Had Their Ears Frozen.
Fort Riley, Kansas,
Dec. 10, 1917.

Bear Editor:
1t is a pleasure. dear lieutenant
editor, to comply with your request
for war letter from somewhere in
Kansas. Fort Riley il certainly fine
place for the purpose as the state has
long beea known as center of tur-
moil of certain sort and is, as well, q,
so monument on a nearby windy
hilltop declares the geographical
center of the U. S. The camp is the
largest in the country. Really there
are two camps, Riley AID Funston.
Even the commander of Funston,
Gen. Wood it is worth noting, is the
most distinguished relic of the Span
ish war and OF the late Rooseveltian
regime. These things are suggested
fer their value as facts rather as an
iasinuation, that what follows will
be of especial interest.
am a newcomer here, lately ar
!. rived from Camp Dodge. l find my
self quite at home as there are seven
or us from northeastern Iowa. Doc
tors SweZey, dean 6f the contingent,
Conrad, Jewell, Plummer, my broth
er and myself although belonging to
several companies, see each other ev
cry day. The size of the contingent
is noteworthy. The town Of Decorah
has sent out sc % of it's available doc
tors the country at large only 14%.
The record Is hard to duplicate. and
while the men themselves claim no
credit for patriotism, modesty being
a characteristic OF medical men, yet
II the war lasts several years as the
! 10 xxrsIl III
these men get across and come back
Il think may assert for them as
military men--assertiveness being a
/. military CHARACTERISTIC, that whatev-
err virtue there may be In volunteer.
adng early will have more practical
rating few years hence than it has
now. And this is the balm the doctors
are laying to whatever misgivings.
they feel as to giving UP business,
home and family for war service. is
came down in my car, and am
making use of it, SweZey took me
cut the first day and being an ex-
lperienced hotseman iand reconnoi-
teSer, showed me around the reserva-
tion. Jewell next day went with me
to the rifle range, and put m
through the trench test. The whiz OF
bullets foot or two over ones de-
voted head is a novelty AID the crack
Of hit on the target is sure to make
one think of safety. The target
trench is full of scorers all as busy
as bees. We stayed quite while and
saw some good shooting. one of the
recruits making seven bullseyes IL
round of ten shots from the 200 yard
line. Conrad went out the other day
and brought in gunler's reputa-
tion and fine bunch of Kansas rab-
bits which the mess did full justice
10. The grub by the way is very good,
costing the officers a dollar day.
Ny brother of Cresco was busy enter
tanning his family few days, Mrs.
DAILY enjoying the opportunity to see
the intimate side of camp life.
, The zero weather has got us all go
ing. Half of the men of our group
got their ears frozen during drill to-
day During the night we doI't all
sleep warm either, it is trying partic-
ularly on the doctors from the south.
And by the way it is fine experience
we get in the school, this 1being
thrown together from all parts or
big country like ours. In my group OF
ten cots are men from Maine, Call
fornia, Oregon, Texas, New York
Ohio, Alabama, Missouri, and Wis
consin. The doctor from Mississippi
woke us up for laugh last night
looking for blanket the boys had
been playing poker on and which he
had forgotten and not missed until
midnight. You know We go to bed In.
a hurry sometimes as at ten the
lights go out willynilly. About three
Che Kentuckian broke the silence OF
two hours true soldierly suffering
and got up murmuring against tate
and all the other inevitable Things
in Characteristic Language, meantime
pacing the floor and poking up the
hre to save himself from an early
and unprovided death by freezing.
At home he has steam heat in every
room and windows that he can close
at night If he wants them closed. Az
Ter Weakening all in the barracks we
nhaily got him back to bed to ti-,
tune or Good Old Summer Time. The
open window though has given us an
elegant record for 3 to 1000 men as
there have been but two deaths from
pneumonia in Riley aad they were
casuals in the camp. Other camps are
not faring so we'll.
The company is not all in yet and
we are only drilling and hiking at
present. In fact the plan of the train
ing camp Is to make us forget that
we are doctors, teaching us to obey
orders, to know military things, how
to do them and TO get them DONE
in word to be medical officers, with
emphasis please on the officers rath-
er than on the adjective. Later on we
hope to be slipped into mesh in the
military wheel. Hence we study and
drill according TO military rather than
medical programs.
A word about the landscape, Cut
[Cnntinnad an nano Al