Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-07-26
Letters Fromthe Front
Harrisburg Boy Amid Bursting Shells in
France Tells of His Experiences in
Fighting Zone.

1.-THE TELEGRAPH prints below
another most interesting letter from
Franklin Etter, son of Mr. and Mrs.
George E. Etter, of Pine street, now
on the firing line in France. who Is
serving with an ambulance section.l
Somewhere in France
LIE 25 June, 1917.
Well, since my last letter, have
made quite a change. 1 am now in
active service! OF course, 1 can't tell
you my exact location, but it's
enough to say that 1 am right at the
front now in the Verdun sector.
1t certainly is relief to get some
where and know you are going to do
something, after having loaied
around in Paris and the training
camp.
AS yet I haven't heard a single
word from any of you and am ter
ribly anxious to know what is going
on at home. l suppose, however, II
is because the mail is so irregular
and it takes such long time to get
over here. However, wish you would
write often, all of you.
AS I said in my last letter, I was
sent from Paris TO a training camp
Paris. Stayed there for over week,
but due to some misunderstanding
and the large crowds that came over
on the following boats, we couldn't I
get our cars to train on. Each fellow
got about ten minutes a day on an
old Berliet car. But I learned lot
and was able to take the car out IN
the evenings.
The whole Princeton section was
odn
command, i.e., had charge OF M
teen fellows. We all expected to be
given French cars and replace
French ambulance section.
Because of my position / was al
lowed to take the car into Meaux 10
get provisions for the camp. 1t is a
quaint old town of about 10000, with
narrow streets, little shops, an OLD
cathedral and very old bridges. with
houses and mills on them, across the
Marne. 1t was very interesting ana L
am glad 1 got the chance to see 1t.
Besides practicing on cars, we
were instructed in French drill,
which is almost the same as Ameri-
can drill, except, of course, the com
mands.
One day the lieutenant announced
that the leader of Section had ask
ed for me to be sent out to MS sec
ton. Gil Glorieux is in that section
and had recommended me. He also
announced that there were three va
cancies in Section 2. Both of these
are old sections, Section 2 being the
first at the front when the war was
started. He gave us all driving tests
and said drove excellently. AS a
matter of fact I did pick up lot in
the last two weeks.
Hen Sherrerd and dandy boy
from Maine, Steve Dresser, also pass
ed. So we three, out of 81, were rec
commended. 1 had the choice of going
| to Section or 2. / took Section
because Hen and Steve could go
along.
So now I have left the Princeton
| section and am with Section at the
| front. I think 1t is a big advantage
| to be with an old section, because
everything is well regulated and go
ing we'll, and because it has a good
reputation and esprit de corps. Be-
| sides, the latest was that the Prince
| ton section was to split up.
Last Thursday we left for Paris
and stayed a day before we were sent
to Section 2. We had lots of shopping
| to do, so were busy all the time
There is so much that you need, that
you are always buying things.
Saturday morning we left for the
| front and are now about $50 miles
from Paris. We hoped in a first
| class compartment, a beautifully fur