Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1917-09-06
A LETTER FROM A SOLDIER.

the following letter from Phil
O'Leary, one of the first to volun-
teer from Coulee City to his father.
Phil is at Omaha, Nebraska, in the
aviation department of the army SER
vice. Lester DOre and Beverly Will
son, also of this place, are located
at the same post. Phil gives a very
good description of days work at
the barracks and tho it seems that
he does not have much time for
play there is absolutely no evidence
of dissatisfaction. If we had more
men of Phil's type and less of those
who advance their age to gain po-
litical advantages and get booze per-
nits and then refuse to register be-
cause they are afraid they might
get their worthless hide plugged full
of holes, this war would be brot
to speedy and satisfactory end
This letter is from a true and loyal
American. 1t follows:
Dear Father
suppose you have begun to
lhink that l was never going to
write. Well l have started a let
ter to you couple of times but
something always turned up that
didn't get chance to finish them.
am in the best of health and
getting as fat as a pig. The army
hard tack and beans seem to agree
with me. The clothes they issued
me at Fort Lawton were too big
for me at that time, now they are
100 small and think I'll have to turn
them in and get new ones.
At first we were allowed one hun
lred dollars a year for clothing al
lowance-they have changed that
now, when any of your clothing
gets to be too small or is worn out
you turn them in and they will re-
place them with new ones.
They are keeping us pretty busy
these days. The bugle blows al
o:45 in the morning and we are CIV
en- fifteen minutes to Dress, make
our bed and to clean around it, after
which we all line up in front of
barracks for roll call. After roll
call we have breakfast. The bugle
olows again at 8 o'clock for drill,
md each company lines up separ-
ately, each having its own Captain
and Lieutenant. First we are given
five minutes of map reading, which
IS very interesting. Then we are
given balloon drill for an hour.
We then are dismissed until ten thir-
ty. We spend this time in getting
our mail. At ten thirty we are called
out for infantry drill for one hour,
at eleven thirty is first mess call
and it lasts until one P. M.-the bu-
gle calls us out at that time for
hour and half of signal drill, after
which we are dismissed for the aft
ernoon. The bugle blows again at
3:15 for retreat and we all line UP
in front of the barracks again and
stand to attention while the flag is
lowered from flag pole in center OF
parade grounds. cannon is also
fired at this time. After retreat we
nave supper. Those who put there
name in for a pass can leave the
fort at 6 P. NJ and return at 12~P. M.
All the others are supposed to be in
bed at nine o'clock at which time
The lights are turned out. About
once every two weeks you have to
10 X. P; that is, work in the kitch-
en-, washing dishes, peel spuds and
wait on tables. All the rest of the
fatigue is done by the rockies"
(men who have not been assigned
10 a company YETI
l have had six innoculations given
me in last three weeks. Three of
these were for typhoid fever and
the other three were for oversee
duty or "typhus," disease that pre-
Ndllcu I'LL lOus EulOpC dl tlC OSSih
ming of the war. l got my last in
noculation today and believe me Pm
glad it is the last one. It's no fun
10 have a needle run in your arm
about an inch twice a week and have
| it swell up about twice it's natural
| size.
/ don't think we will cross the
big pond until middle of the winter.
You see we couldn't get over there
this summer in time to do much
good. The balloon is only raised
five or six times during the winter
while during the summer it is up
every day. But think we will leave
in the winter so we can get about a
months training behind the lines
and then when spring opens up we
will be right at the front doing our
bit. Helping to slip the raspberry
to Kaiser Bill and Charley of Aus
tria and | think when the final gong
is sounded and the big fight is over
| YOU will find them both using the