Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-11-14
most of them survivors of the Battle

most of them survivors of the Battle
of the Marine, have arrived to aid the
American officers in the instruction. OF
men in all branches of the service. On
the breast Of each in the French Croix
de Guerre, the badge of honor that
signifies the wearer did some espec-
tally brave and heroic deed for France.
They are here because the Allies be.
lieve they can do more for the cause
as instructors than as fighters. And
perhaps they've done most of their bit
on the firing line.
The boys at Dodge are now in the
trenches. Under the supervision OF
trench experts, they have builded a
complete set of front, second and
third line bitches, in the most approx.
ed style of the Allies. They have con-
structed sand bag machine gun pits as
we'll and everybody is learning to fight
from the trenches. Bayonet drill, as
the writer described it in a previous
letter, goes on daily hourly.
AS the several days of training 60
on, the spirit of the men grows A
prominent Des Moines surgeon who
Camp Dodge officers that the most
striking thing he found was that the
most enthusiastic supporters of the
war are the soldiers back from the
front, cripples and all. One cannot
help butt notice the growth of the en-
thusiasm of the boys at Dodge.
For instance the various units are
getting their marching songs.
Time was when they were too tired
at night to sing But now they swing
into the wide cantonment streets,
headed for home, with their favorite
song upon their lips. The melodies
and words are not frivolous or funny.
They're written in serious vein and
sung that way. And practically every
one tells story of the time when the
soldiers of the Eighty-eighth get over
there to fight for the cause.
"War would be He'll If 1t wasn't for
the laughs" said private to the writ
er. He pointed to line of negro con-
scripts who had Just arrived with
some 5000 others from Sunny Ala
bam'. Very few of them had ever
been moth" before. Their mess kits,
the first they had ever seen, were cur
iosities. AS each col6red boy found the
combination and opened it, he laughed
gleefully.
1t was bit chilly. .--
"They say we all gonna hav snow"
said one. "Boy, ali nevah seen snow in
all NAH nfe" ..:. (,
One negro in the group assumed an
allwise expression. He had been north
before. And he was asked to tell
what snow looked like. .'Boy, snow
Is JUS like rain, only It don't fall so
fast, is white and its sof' and Lawdy!
Lawdy! boy It's cold!"
Everybody shivered. -;
Plans are under way for the cree.
ton of a number of "hostess houses
at Camp Dodge. They are strongly
recommended by General Plummer.
The Y. w. C. A. workers in the war
work campaign that started this week
win get $4,000 for the hostess house
fund.
The hostess houses will really be the
front parlors" of Camp Dodge Moth
ers, wives and sweethearts will visit
their soldiers there. They will be
made homelike, as homelike as pos
sible. - rs 49,
Hostess houses are just another step
in the work of the government and the
cilivian workers Of Des ,Moines in.
making things comfy for the men Of
the National army. III -.
- MARRIAGE LICENSES. : -.
Nov. ELMER c. Myhre to Anphea