The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-09-27
HOME LETTERS
D|sPEL BLUES
FORT MADISON SOLDIER TELLS
OF LIFE IN FRANCE.
RED CROSS WORK is PRAISED
He Says 1t Is Great Factor In Allie.
WAITING Pain, Also In Providing
Comforts For the
Soldiers.

Soldiers.
Fort Madison, Ia, Sept. 25.-Roy
Forbes, who gave up his work in a
bank here to enter the army, has
hosts of friends in Southeastern Iowa
who will be interested in the follow
ing letter:
Aug. Z, 1917, Somewhere in
France. This afternoon band con-
cert was given for the entertainment
of the boys, who were well enough
to enjoy music. The music was very
good and as one number followed an
,rher began to realize they were
playing selections / had heard many
lines back home, in Grape park, and
as Dixie "Old Black joe" etc., were
played, my longing for just a familiar
face or word from home became
rather intense, with the usual result,
inconsistencies. And the strange part
of it was, that had just finished tell
ing the boys, how it was the usual
Sunday custom of several families to
ur1ve up to Burlington concerts when
your letter was brought to me. had
thought of how we drove up and u.s.
ually saw your car there and after
an exchange of greetings, enjoyed the
concert and then drove off. / wonder
if you are all doing it this summer.
hope you are. l want everything at
home to be and go on just as it always
has, for it is a comfort to feel that
somewhere there is place not abso-
lutely demoralized because of this
awful war and destruction over here.
1t is needless to tell you how much
enjoyed your letter, and to show
you how much | appreciate it, / am
writing you at once. have a
movement order" which sends me
out on duty in the early hours of the
morning, and as it is midnight now,
am going to take this little time to
write l have only received two let
ters from Fort Madison since last
June and they came from Mrs. Han
chett little over a week ago. | am
sure she has written to me often, but
haven't received my letters, and
that is all l have heard, so you can
imagine how hungry was for a let
ter from home, when yours came to-
day.
The news just came out this morn
ing that | had been recommended for
third stripe. had personally been
given by first two, and one of the
boys of our unit No. Il, came down
to congratulate me, and while talk
ing to him, found out he used to live
Gilbert and Wells families. His name
is Duggan and at one time his father
was connected with the Il. r. there
in Burlington.
l know you would like to talk
war talk" or rather hear about it,
but it would be far easier to tell you
all about it,. We have of course at
all times, our glad times and sad
times, even at the times when little
ray of sunshine happens along, in the
form of some diversion, we cannot
help but feel the pathos behind it all.
Could | but tell you of one of the
thousands of sights that are becom-
ing a part of my life, it would wiring
your heart and quicken desire to
make the hands move more quickly
and the machines hum the louder.
You have the spirit there as we get
it here at first hand The work you
are all doing is great work, and if
you could only see the extent of your
Red Cross circle, you could only mar
vel. Some of the officers are sending
out cry for more comfortable quar-
tiers; for myself | could be content
to roll up in blanket on the floor of
a tent. When winter. comes on
want those who are lying sick and
wounded in the wards (tents) to be
comfortable and warm. l can go
without eating, drinking and sleeping
four days, but | want the boys" to
be fed properly. | have gone three
days with only little piece of cold
liver and dry bread and less than six
hours sleep. 1t was not because of the
shortage of food, but lack of time.
We do not have the often quoted
thirty-six, forty-eight hours at time
must be given at times. Yesterday
my day began at o'clock a. M; at
1890 last night finished my work.
| had eaten one meal in that time and
stood while was eating it. AT 1890
the ward, directly across from my of
fee, attracted my attention by the
apparent restlessness of the patients,
70 went over to ask the night nurse
i! could be of any help. Perhaps
is best to tell you of just one ward
If the many we have here, and then
you will realize what good your Red
Cross work has done. This ward is
given over entirely to the patients,
or rather wounded, who have portions .
Or perhaps large part of their face
shot away, and here new faces are
made. Can you imagine the advance
science has made, when two doctors
can make a human face? Some jaws
are gone, ears. mouth shot away, nose
gone, sometimes ears, nose and mouth /
Ill gone have watched some of
Z asp caap4 from The fine mart af