The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1917-07-12
MlNOT MAN WRITES
FROM FRANCE
Walter Champln, University Student
Tells Of Thrilling Scenes Just Be-
hind the Lines--Says We Don't
Realize What the War Means.

WlLl TWO ulllLS Oh ulllNSL9 lVy oSNNSibh>
comprising AZ men, to serve in the
Ambulance Corps:
In Camp, June 20.
Dear Maude:
No doubt you have been expecting
some word from me other than the
brief postcards | have sent from
time to time, so I'll have to explain
why YOU have been neglected. My
time here in the American Field Ser
vice is not my own and as conse-
ouence have very little leisure.
Our trip was uneventful as you per
haps already know from my letters
home, which | have asked to be sent
TO YOU as soon as they have read
them.
Reaching the Ambulance Head
quarters we found that although there
were numbers of Ford chassis avail
able no bodies could be secured in
France: due to the lack of labor and
material in Paris. In addition to that
many of the Ambulance Sections were
zen repos," that is in sections where
there was no fighting, as there are
many such now. So, instead of wait
ing around Paris for couple of
months for bodies and locations at the
front we decided to go into the Cannon
Service, just then being inaugurated
by the young Americans in France,
and that is what l am doing now. We
spent about two days in Paris and
then were sent out to training camp
for ten days to familiarize ourselves
with the big trucks that are used in
the transport of munitions and ina
terrell DIES guerre." We have been out
here at the front about five days and
IL. =. 1xl- l,o, ~ &c
most interesting. The first night we
over the lines scouting after dark and
the French anti-aircraft SIS opened up
on them and there was the most beau
tiful exhibition of fireworks l have
ever seen. They follow the planes
with gigantic searchlights-and at one
time there were as many as 70 great
streaks of light across the sky, to say
nothing of the many signal bombs |
and rockets. This happens on every
clear night Wish that l could tell
you where we are located but it is not
allowed - defender" as the French
say, and the censor would mark it out.
They are very strict.
The nice thing about this service is
chat we did not have to split up into
groups but will be maintained in a /
single corps throughout our period Of
service. The grub we get is very plain
but always tastes good after one has
been driving all day. For breakfast
we get coffee, coarse French bread and
Jam; for lunch and dinner usually
soup or stew, wine, meat and cheese.
We have to drink the pinard, or wine,
in place of water, as the latter is not
fit. 1 am getting so l can drink the
stuff quite readily although very sour
Today we were out to a battery of
SIS with bunch of ammunition and
were there at the time they were can
nonading the German trenches. You
must remember that the batteries are
about 2 IL miles back of the lines
and the gunner never sees his targets.
The guns are all concealed under
ground and are hard to find. The Of
ficers allowed US in the pits and let US
fire the pieces after they were aimed.
Also remember that the caps are re-
moved from the shells when being
transported. At the same time we
were watching the guns a couple of
aeroplanes were having a duel cou-
pie of miles up in the air, so on the
whole we had an interesting day.
The more | see of this war the
more | detest the whole thing. Hope
that the U. S. may be the power that
brings it to a speedy conclusion. To
you in the calm and peaceful America
it is impossible to explain the feeling
one has on viewing the results of the
struggle. You cannot imagine it. SO
far I have not seen drop of blood
shed, but yet have been impressed
that my whole viewpoint has been
changed There will be AZ (the whole
CORPSE Pacifists return to the states
when their six months is up.
When you see once peaceful and
beautiful villages totally demolished,
trees completely stripped of foliage,
all the natural and useful pursuits Of
the country stopped, with the excep
ton of the few very old men and wo-
men and children who work in the
fields, huge trains Of munitions going
to the trenches, long lines Of troops
marching to the front to replace the
tired and WORKOUT men coming out
for breathing time-all the Glory,
Pomp and Music that the ordinary
American attaches to war gone--then
you begin thinking and the Divine Be-
ing alone can dictate your conclusions.
Would that I had a more powerful
pen to bring home to you in America
the terrible burden OF war. The
French have fought for three long
years, bravely and well-perhaps more
nobly than any people on earth-and
now our time has come. The sooner
the U. S. army comes the sooner the
war will be over. / hate to see them
come, in one way, to die on foreign
fields-but the cause is just, the
French nation worthy-and cts up to
u.s."
Oh yes, there is one thing before I
close. Will you have the good old
'bog- jumper" (Pete) some day when
he is over town purchase for me few
packages Of pipe ACKNOWLEDGMENT,
Prince Albert or Imperial Cube Gut
and mail them to me. Better split it
into two or three small packages and
mail them a week apart so if one goes
astray or is sunk, l shall be sure of
getting some anyway. This French to-
bacco is so Internally strong that
am thinking Of lining my mouth with
asbestos for defense.
So far, June goth, I have not had a
single word from home: Guess the