Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-11-29

k5tkil1 10
FllAMoio lleDGslaoT1
h Somewhere III france, Oct. 80
Dear Mother and Father:
1 am sure prospecting fine.
received three boxes III cakes, To-.
Lacco, candy, cigarettes AMI
cigars, also twenty eight letters
i ,Aade myself comfortable for q
while reading letters and smok-
mg American made cigarettes be-
4, tween letters. would sample
the cake, then the cookies, and
so on: When I chad finished
reading all the letters felt like
the fellow that ate Thanksgiving
dinner with us. Remember,
! mother, you asked him back for
i supper, and he said, III feel like
do now, won't be back" II
sounded like he ate something
that mate him sick, but think
he meant shui was full. At any
! rate was when finished the
letters
Well dad, some day you may
8 open the old history and see the
43th Regiment of c. & N. w. Ry.
men on the front page. Not that
I'VE are. a bunch of braves, but
tibet. we are :the first regiment in
active service in the. go for the
-kaiser's crown from the U. 8. We
are operating the most important
front of all.
Remember, i told you about the
trenches.?. They were at Chalons.
We were there for about three
weeks, and all we. had to do was
take. in the. sights.:: guess they
thought we were sight, too, be-
cause, we. were the first regiment
Of, Americans. in that part Of
France. You have read about the
battle of Marine. 1t was at
Ghal9ns and Marine that it took
PLACE, 1T. was here that the Ger
mans, started to-. retreat. It was
in September, 1914, that the Ger
mans held: this place for eight
days. They. have a !. graveyard
there that shows. what it cost the
French to take it back. We ar
riyed here August 10th; marched
to. the barracks and had a real
army snpper-bealfs..s We were
all. broke :and tired, so hit the hay
early. Next morning about s we
had our first chance to witness
an ;air> fight. II was real inter-
esting sto. a bunch that didn't
know tbs. danger: they were in.
They :had.their; anti-aircraft guns
playing clnse.t TO his wings and by
thes time: the FReneh aviator got
in motion he. was. on his way to
the fatherland:; / can't say wheth-
er they got,s him Or not. Since
theR@we: shave seen so many we
don't. stop -sto.watek them, A
Zeppelin went over: close to our
baInacksi.last: week. I didn't get
to. see. it. Will likely have lots Of
chspcas to see one before the War
is. finished. H.seunds as though
they are putting 1.-The finishing
touches on today. The windows
atosrattlinE like they do on a cold
winter night. 1t has been one
continual roar all day.
You.asked me in your last let
ter,if: I ever got a chance-to dance.
MOI. we. never dance, but we have
partiase: land sshowers-that is,
zpartiasy UP :. moving their cots
when.thA showers commence.
You have mo idea. what the
towns. are like in this part Of the
country You can go from one
end to the other and never see a
light. and start UP through the
town Mhistling.:.I Wonder How
the Old Folks Are at Home" and
never. meet a. soul, and all you
can see is the remains of a few
oldashacks and see the flash from
the fr0nt...-and hear the cannon
thunder. 1t makes. you feel like
you're1a= longs lonss:ways from
home. Now this looks like am
getting h0mesick. Well, I'll
never kick any when they tell US
we are. going back, but I am go
ing to be like my great great
grandfather., Wasn't it he who
said. "I'm.not going to- try and.
make. the. ocean ?,'-.
Take the towns around where
we are theresis not much pleasure,
but the seaport towns are much
BETTER, Every place we have been
on This side is all war. I haven't
seen half dozen men but what
were wearing a uniform.
Well, mother, hope you are as
well as l am. If everyone was as
good as ] am, they could make
soldiers out of all the doctors and
| am sure the devil would go
bankrupt in a short time.
Well, dad, ! said Il would tell
you about the railroad, SO will do
the best ]. can, First, couplers-