Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-06-06
FRANK CARISTEN
WRITES ABOUT ARMY
Decorah Boy Now Stationed at Fort
Sheridan in Hospital Corps
Tells About His
Experiences.
GETTING USED TO DRILLS
AND LIKES THE WORK
Assigned to Hospital Corps But Don't
Know What His Regular
| Work Is.

WOfk Is.
Frank Christen, son of Mr.. and
Mrs. Albert Christen, of this city,
writes interesting letters from Jeffer-
so1 Barracks and Fort Sheridan,
where he Is now located in the hos
pital corps. The letters were writ
ten to his parents and are as fol-
lows:
Jefferson Barracks,
r May IA, 1917. =
Dear Folks:
Here l am in Jefferson Barracks
and feeling fine; the weather is nice
but little chilly evenings. We have
received our suits. They are the
same as the regular army, but the
Hospital Corps have a white and dark
red cord round their hats; the In
fantry have light blue; the Caval-
~ have yellow; the Coast Artil-
lery have a scarlet; the white. We
drill all morning but can rest il the
afternoon until 5:15 when we line
up in front Of the Barracks for re-
treat; that is when the band plays
Star .Spangled Banner. and they
shoot of a cannon and take down the
flag. In the morning they put up the
flag at 5:45 and all the soldiers have
to salute; that Is the beginning of
the day in army life.
They send great crowd Of soldiers
out OF here every day. Yesterday
about 1,750 men went to Mexico and
Arizona. They also sent some of the
Medical Corps to Fort Smelling and
Fort Dearborn. There are new men
coming in all the time, and they are
building new barracks so they can
take care Of them all. They are al
so getting places ready for the ones
they are going to draft. I am glad
i enlisted rather than waiting to, be
drafted.
~ : s,-.r--.asss. Nay IL. 1sf =: d
The mess Hall holds 1890 6t one
time and when you go in there, you
have to grab as it's everybody for
himself. Each one has his turn work
ing in the mess hall, and there's
where was yesterday from A. M.
until p NJ, and was of until four
o'clock and then had to work until
$3.50 P. M, and then went to St.
Louis in the evening. The 1ext NOR
ming I went in the mess hall again at
Sis A. M. and worked until 9 A. NJ; !;
then I had finished my work in the
mess hall. We have plenty good
food; had cream of wheat, eggs.
bread, coffee aid syrup for break
fast; for dinner we had saueages, po-
tatoes, cabbage and bread. and for
supper had hash and macaroni, bread
and coffee. OF course, we don't get
the frills and really, don't miss
them.
The other evening when Rex
Thompson and I came back from st.
Louis, as we passed the guard house,
we were given the command to halt,
las It was dark and they couldn't see
us. When I said Recruits from Co.
49," we we're told to advance.
May 18, 1917.
Just q line TO Yet you know I am
going to leave here tomorrow, or
Sunday, for Fort Sheridan, just
about eighteen miles north of Chica-
go. I consider myself lucky as
don't care to go any farther. south |;
it Is warm enough here. In the NOR
uiuS VIC ~ lhIu q sCa y oOVOiC ONoAI-
ination. They test the lungs, heart
and internal organs very carefully.
They are having song services here
at the Y. M. C. A. this evening. and
there are about 500 boys sitting
around the table writing home. Ted
Youngton is working here in the bar
Der shop and intends to stay here, /
guess.
Fort Sheridan. May %, 1917.
Dear Folks:
Arrived here last evening about
eight o'clock, and it was raining and
lis still raining. 1t took us twelve
hours to come from Jefferson Bar
racks. We were given our perman-
ent hunks this A M. in the Hospital
prison ward I can see Lake Michi-
gan from my window; it is not more
than a quarter of mile from the
hospital. I think am going to like
lit here much better than at the Bar
racks, and the "eats" are better. For
breakfast we had grape fruit, cream
ed rice, bread and butter and cof-
fee with real cream in 1t. For din
ner we had roast beef, potatoes,
brown gravy, pudding, bread, butter
and coffee. There are several Iei-
lows here from Iowa; one from
Usage is in the same room l am; In
fact, there is nice bunch OF boys
here; 149 boys came here from the
Barracks with me.
May "a. 1917.
The Hospital Corps is a branch OF
the regular army but don't know
what our regular work Is yet. There
are about 5000 here that are train
ing for officers. We don't have TO
get up until six o'clock here put we
have to 20 to bed early. There is
what they call canteen not far from
here. a place they sell the things the
soldiers might want. such as candies,
fruit, soap, towels, and tobacco.
We drilled yesterday and today,
both In forenoon and afternoon. We
get drilling % well a. the regular
army, but not 90 much. They moved
- ~ /N>.klA,~nA D. IN