Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-11-30
A LETTER FROM ONE OF OUR
BOYS.
The following letter was received by
paul G.. Warren last week:
- -. NJ A ,th,,,. Arn.- 1 O 1ntr

Paul G. Warren last week:
Camp Macarthur, Nov. Is, 1917.
Dear Paul: At last / have got
around to answering your letter. /
will try and write more often after
this, but it is mighty hard to keep up
with my correspondence as l should.
We were about through with squads
right and squads left week ago and
have taken up bayonet work and
bomb throwing in earnest. The main
thing in bayonet work is speed. We
must be able to handle those heavy
guns like broomsticks and to parry
and thrust like lightning. One of the
series Of bavonet exercises is a long
thrust, a short thrust, an upward
swing of the butt to the jaw, a smash
in the face with the butt, a downward
slash with the bayonet and all this
followed by kick with the foot. They
are taking no chances with having
slightly wounded Germans laying
around. By the time we have gone
through this series for fifteen minutes
we are all in and have to rest awhile.
Bomb throwing is more fun and we
are becoming fairly accurate. Those
that we have had so far are just the
shells filled with sand. We have also
taken up semaphore and wigwag sig
mailing and it is very interesting.
Every Saturday morning we take
twelve to fourteen mile hike and it
was hard at first, but now we all like
them. Last Friday night after sup
per we took a nine mile walk and
we're not allowed to even whisper. Be
lieve me, we slept that night after
drilling all day, too.
We have so many shoes we don't
know where to keep them. We have
always had two pairs of the regula-
ton army shoes and yesterday we
were issued two pairs of field shoes.
The have soles about half an inch
thick and are studded. Haven't tried
them yet, but they look heavy. To-
day | had quite an experience. Hugh
called for me and we took walk,
eventually ending up at the aviation
field. In a private field adjoining the
camp there is an aeroplane belonging
to a citizen of Waco. Well, | got to
talking with him and asked him to
take me up. He consented, of course,
with remuneration, and we flew all
over the camp and above Waco. Words
can not describe it. There is no SEN
sation of rising or falling, but just
smooth, easy, floating feeling, and the
height had absolutely no effect upon
L. 10. nd hi rn
we were and he said about 1000 feet,
but anyway the buildings looked
mighty small. When we rushed up the
field and started to rise the earth just
seemed to drop away and we were up
in no time. In coming down he closed
the throttle and we volplaned two
thirds of the way down. 1t was aw-
fully quiet Their and we did not seem
to be moving, but just poised in the
air with the nose pointing downward.
Pretty soon, though, the buildings and
trees grew larger and he opened up
and Strengthened out again. When we
were about fifty feet from the ground
my head grew light for just an instant
but was all right again Immediately
after. We made perfect landing and
Hugh was glad to see us on earth
again. Paul, have ridden in almost
everything that can go, but there is
nothing to compare with flying.
might try another ride next Sunday II
can scare up enough mazuma. 1t is
funny when look off high building
it makes me feel kind of funny, you
know what mean, but way up in a
machine / could look straight down
and not feel that way in the slightest
degree.
Well, I will close now, Paul, and
hope to hear from you soon. Give
my regards to Bert and to all the
boys. How is the new arrival?
Yours sincerely,
RICHARD G. FULLY.
The machine was a Curtiss biplane
with a Curtiss eight cylinder motor.