Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1917-12-20

be seen to and message will do, the
message is carried for me. l write
no official communications; stenog-
rapher or clerk does that. My Job
is to see that my men are comfortable.
get enough to eat, nre safely housed
and properly disciplined, but the work
is all delegssed to me by another Of
ficer. One Of the lieutenants acta N
mess office5. Under him he has the
cooks, mess sergeant and kitchen
detail. He makes up the ration re-
turns, draws the food from the sub
sistence department and secs to its
proper preparation. One officer il
transportation officer. Our trucks and
ambulanccs are in his care. He signs
fro all the transportation and nothing
can move without his consent. One
officer is quartermaster, and has
charge Of picks and shovels, axes,
tents, poles, ropes, lanterns and every
thing outside Of transportation and
food. One officer is sanitary officer
and sees to the proper placing of tot
let's, the care Of the grounds, the
water, garbage disposal and every
thing pertaining to the health of the
camp.
Regular Sunday Dinner
TIL officers have a separate mess.
For each. day we pay the mess officer
fifty cents which he turns over to the
government. For this we get the
, same food the men get. In addition
We pay our mess officer something ad-
ditional with which he buys eggs.
fruit, ETC., which are not furnished
the men. Sunday, at officers mess,
We had chicken, mashed sweet pota-
toes, celery, olives, asparagus tips,
custard, ice cream, cake and coffee.
1t was we'll cooked, and there was
plenty of it in spite of the appetites
we have in this camp.
Each morning we have field mancu-
vers as nearly like the actual war con-
ditions as is possible under the cir
cumstances. The wounded" are dir
tributed over the battlefield. The
sanitary troops" Of the regiment are
sent out to give them first aid and
bring them to the repimcutal aid sta
tions where their dressings are ad-
justed and emergency operations per
formed. From here, they are carried
back to the dressing station OF the
ambulance company by the field hos
pital behind the lines. Each patient
has tag placed upon him by the
sanitary trooper who dresses his
wounds. On this tag, called dag
nosis tag, is placed the character of
wound, the treatment and the initial
of the man giving the treatment.
| This tag is left on until the patient
dies or is turned over to the line of
communication hospital or is retained
for definite treatment. In the after
| noon the reports are made out. forms
are filled in, tags are segregated Just
as in war conditions. / have been
given some of the big jobs. and it
takes me several hours each day with
one or two clerks and stenographer.
In the afternoons the Officer take
walls on which we construct roofs,
showing cover, protection, ct" The
men spend their afternoons in their
dug-outs, getting wood or inst sit
ting around fire. In the evening
we usually have concert by the boys
around the camp fire. Some Of the
best music ever heard, have heard
here, and some of the funnieat Incl
dents have taken place here.
! must close now as this is about
the longest letter l ever wrote.
With love to you all,
DALE