Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-11-14
WILLIAM A. OLSON.
Camp Dodge, Ia, Nov. 1, 1917.

OOoA AuAIOA
On account of strenuous duties, l
have not been able to write you be-
fore. The people near Willmar may
think it strange that the boys do not
write more often but we are all kept
busy, and out of mischief. Our days
commence at S:15 o'clock and are of
duty at five o'clock. From then we
are kept busy until bed time. At nine
o'clock the lights are out.
Most OF our equipment is here now,
but there are still some of US who have
received no blouses as. yet. The
weather is surely fine so we have not
suffered from the cold. We have had
good deal Of rain the last couple Of
weeks, The soil is a good deal differ
ent from Minnesota. It is more sandy
and we have had some real sand
storms before the rain came.
We are making over ten mile hikes
nowadays. Saturday was the first
time Co. D, 251st Infantry, had dinner
out at the drilling grounds. Each
company pitched tents and did not re-
turn until late in the afternoon.
We can assure you that the next
draft will have things good deal bet
ter than we did. We had a great deal
of work to do in getting the grounds
cleared, besides numerous other things
in the line of comfort. We have our
hot water system in good running or
der and a good deal more room now
as we have two barracks for each
company. There were twenty men
transferred to Camp Cody, N. NJ, a
week ago. The boys like the country
real well, but it is kind 9of cold at
night.
Camp Dodge is a good deal larger
than many people think We have thir-
ty or forty hundred mules and horses.
the best tn at could be secured. A
couple of my friends and myself were
over to see one of the boys from Co.
B, 351st, at the Base Hospital. This
building is on the north of the camp.
It is three miles from the Regimental
Headquarters. We arrived at the Base
Hospital at $3.50 and found our friend
Olof Julson on his feet again and feel
ing fairly well. He said he had been
taken good care of We spoke to one
of the Red Cross nurses. She told us
there were two hundred and fifty
| nurses there. These buildings are
very large. They cover forty acres
The hallway alone covers eighteen
acres. The ambulance is busy here
every day. Someone falls out of rank
every day but we must consider that
there are thirty thousand men here
now. Ten thousand colored men ar.
rived here from Alabama. They seem
to like the country, but not the camp
life. We have been at the Y. M C. A.
| this afternoon and we're entertained
| by four ladies from Deming, and we
surely enjoyed the piano and vocal
solos. We have all kinds Of instru
ments at the Y. M. G. A. so one car
feel at home and not get lonesome
We have piano and violin at Co. D
351st Infantry, so there's no danger
of having rats or mice around there
The Y. M. C. A. is one of the best
places on the camp grounds. We have
our Sunday schools as well as service
couple times a week. We enjoy i
very much. ..Est !
It is eighteen miles to Des Moines
Iowa. Most of the boys have been "a
camp today as their pocket book hal
lost its best sound but they still hay'
hopes as they signed the payroll ,
week ago. Our marching song is this
"All we do is sign the payroll, ant
don't get blooming cent"
We have had some visitors today.
AS ever,
PRVT. WILLIAM A. OLSON
Camp Dodge, Iowa, Co. D, 351s
Infantry.