The Dickinson press., 1917-04-14
Company K Boys
Are Comfortable
at Military Post

The following excerpts from a let
ter written by Joe Brodie to his par
ents in Dickinson, will be of interest
know the members of Company K,
now in the federal service, and sta
toned at a government army post in
western Montana:
yesterday was Easter Sunday.
was allowed to go up town for one
hour. l heard a dandy sermon though
so that helps some. There was a
peach of a tenor soloist singing in the
choir. We are not allowed to go to
town so I considered myself lucky.
All of the m of the town were
out in their best rags and nifty hats
81 hope Co. K gets some recruits
as it is no snap working eight hours
guard every other day. The young
fellows who said I'll join if war
breaks out seem to have changed
their minds.
1--WE have a dandy place up here
Lots of hot water tofwash u clothes
in. They have big cement tubs, some
thing like we have in our cellar at
home. We get very good eats so we
have no complaints to make. We
have the kind of beds they S in hos
pitfalls. They are spring beds with a
white enamel coating. They furnish
us mattresses which are covered with
a white canvas tick. Then we also
have two white sheets, a pillow and
pillow case, two army blankets, q
poncho and shelterhalf. We also have
a locker for ourselves with five hooks
and a top shelf for hats and toilet
articles and a bottom shelf for shoes
and equipment. There are twenty
one in the main bunk hall compared
with from sixty to seventy in the
bunk hall at Fl. Smelling, so you see
we are not crowded at all.
"We don't have to do any drilling
at all now as it is all guard duty.
We have every day off as we don't
have to go on detail. The Bitter
Root river flows past the Fort and
there are a large amount of trout in
the stream. Day before yesterday
we climbed a small butte and looked
at the surrounding country. You
could see the Bitter Root river wind
ing in among the mountains. The
mountains are covered with pine, fir,
cedar and ash trees. Some OF the
highest mountains are covered with
snow the year around.$' Mt. Lolo is
the highest one around here. There
are deer, bear, lynx, mountain ions
and mountain sheep in the mountains
around here. Soldiers can hunt the
year around on the Government Res
ervation. There are many ducks and
squirrels here also. There are many
new kinds of birds. 1t is surely. great
to hear them singing early in the
morning, especially when you are on
guard down by the river. The post
from - to 2 in the morning is called
the ghost walk. When you are on
guard about midnight and the moon
shines bright on the snow and tree
covered mountains and when the big
floating clouds obscure the moon once
in a while, when the river ripples and
glimmers, when a big owl in a nearby
tree goes who-o-o-o, who-o-o-o,
who-o-o-o, when the mountain lions
screcch and the coyotes yell, when
fishes Jump out of the water and
make a resounding splash in the clear
midnight air, when a disturbed robin,
crow or thrush sets forth a melan-
choly chorus, when the whir of a flock
of ducks passing overhead sounds like
a light artillery, you can see your
casket covered with carnations and
the funeral procession lined up IN
front of the church.
"Believe me, nobody is allowed on
the reservation or near the Fort ex-
cept on business. Easter Sunday at
ternoon 1 washed a pair of pants, a
shirt and a suit of underwear,, a pair
of socks, handkerchiefs, shell belt,
regulation belt, a hat and a towel and
polished up a pair of shoes. 4 very
pleasant way to spend Ester Sunday
afternoon. In the army, all days are
alike.
"We are real lucky to get such a
good place as we will be able to- go
fishing, hunting, mountain climbing
and Swimming. This is the prettiest
place 1 have ever seen. Captain
Moore of the PHILIPPINE Scouts is our
commanding officer"