Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-11-14
MANY BOYS WILL COME
HOME AT CHRISTMAS
Joyous News Given Out to SOL
diers at Camp Dodge
This Week,

Headquarters, Eighty-Eighth Division,
Camp Dodge, Ia, Nov. 13.
"Dear Mother:
I wont be able to get away for
Thanksgiving dinner with.you folks at
home but I'll be there with bells on
Christmas!"
That's the kind of letters going out
from Camp Dodge today. Command
ing officers have announced they will
let every soldier possible go home for
the Yuletide holidays.
It's one of the pleasantest words the
boys have heard.
II was wondering how I'd spend
Christmas" said a private Of infantry,
as he heard the good news from Y.
M. c. A. "Bloke" in the army associ-
alton building.
II got letter from mother today.
She was wondering where I'd be
Christmas. You see never have miss
ed Christmas dinner at home. And
once travelled 1900 miles just to be
with mother and Dad and my big sis
ter. Guess I'd better write 'em let
ter right now and tell 'em to have plen-
ty Of turkey"
And the "Bloke," CHATS the name
the Sammies give secretaries of the
Army "Y's') handed over paper and
envelopes with alacrity and a smile.
Thereafter, the secretary saw to it
that he passed out as much letter pa
per as possible. He made it his bus
mess to see that as many, Mother,
I'll be home Christmas" messages went
out that day as possible.
OF course not all soldiers at Dodge
will 60. A good per cent of them
must stay to operate the great wooden
war city. The best man will win leave
of absence. Officers have decided that
the man with the best records for work
and behavior will find Christmas Day
| that it pays. -
And you mothers who follow the
boys at Camp Dodge thru the Willmar
Tribune-don't send your boys a lot
of Turkey for Thanksgiving. He will
have it as the guest of his Uncle Sam.
He'll have a pound of turkey for him
self and every other man in camp
will have pound. He'll have mash
| ed potatoes and sweet potatoes and
dressing and cranberries and celery
and all the trimmings. It's part of
| Uncle Sans army regulations that he
shall have these things on the day the
nation gives thanks. For, whoever
heard of giving thanks on baked
beans!
If you want to send him something,
send some candy or some cookies or
some cake or something extra. Do
the same thing Christmas. And above
all, General Plummer says the best
thing you can do is to send him a
great big fat, happy letter as dessert.
In the meantime, Sammy will con-
tinue training that he may be ready
to join Black Jacks men in Flanders
next spring.
The gas houses are about ready.
Five hundred gas masks have reached
Camp Dodge. Gas experts have arrfv.
ed to take charge Of the training. The
government has even provided med
1cal men who are specialists in cpl
lepsy and similar diseases. Should a
man faint in the gas house when un.
dergoing training, the war depart.
ment wants to know whether it was
from gas or disease.
The plan is to send fifty men into
the gas house at the same time, with
gas masks adjusted, to remain there
for a period while gases of various
kinds and strength are turned into the
| ar tlgnt compartment. Its to teach
the men to have no fear of the gas
and to know when gas attack is ap-
preaching.
Then there will be "gas drill" like
the fire drill of children in school.
Men will be given gas masks to carry
In proper position on their breasts at
all hours. At unexpected moments a
shril1 whistle will signal the approach
OF an imaginary gas wave. And its
the job of every man to get his gas
mask on and properly fitted before his
sergeant can count six seconds. .
The intensive training program will
soon be on in full force. More titan
10000 rifles, the majority of them
English Enf1elds,' have arrived. The
first battery of artillery, four three.
inch guns, also reached the canton
ment this week. Pershing's men in
France are now using the French
"75s" for light field guns. 1t is not
known whether the National army ar
tilleryists too will change guns when
they reach the firing line.
Five French officers, every one of
them veteran Of the great war and