The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-08-23

what this war is before | left the
states, but | was wrong. 1t is terri
bic, that is all, and we do not begin
to see the worst Of it even here
though our news and the stories Of
the mems personal experiences are
fresh and come first hand. They are
as varied as can be, but ABSOLUTELY
the same in regard TO the attitude to-
wards the ferries" or Fritz
(Germans), the hell OF the trenche-
their desire to see the war end but
end right. Many Of these men have
gone through worse than is possible
for US Americans to conceive but one
could never see more cheerful or grit
ty chaps. They may come in on q
stretcher minus a leg or full of shrap-
mel with never a groan passing their
lips, simply ask for a fog (cigare),
brother" and take what comes TO
them.
am a night orderly in M of the
medical wards which is given over
mostly TO shell shock patients and
slight surgical cases. 1t is an easy
ward compared with the heavy or Sc
we're surgical wards, for mine are
SO per cent walking cases; that is.
the patients are able to get up dur
ing the day and need little or no at
tention at night. Shell shock is a
nerve trouble new with this war. 1t
is due to continual high nervous ten
sion which may suddenly reach the
caught in an explosion or hears one
OF the high power shells shrek past.
He loses consciousness for several
hours and may lose power Of speech
for some time. They are usually
cured or at least helped simply with
plenty Of rest and quiet. A sudden
noise at night or a dream may set
them of again, so, while they are
perfectly rational most OF the time,
demand continued watch. They often
J go over the fight in their sleep and
may talk, scream, throw themselves
out OF bed or do most anything. We
simply waken them as quietly as pos.
sibly and they are all right again.
tree by a bomb explosion, said they
tried to make a "dickey bird" out of
him. Another was buried for two
days and remembers nothing of what
happened to him for several days.
They like to talk and you may be sure
have no objections to listening. It's
listen to this, America" from three
or four at once and so much to listen
to it Is like a three-ring circus-you
can't take it all in.
We have mostly "Tommies" eng
lish), Jokes (Welshmen), Canadians,
New Zealanders and Australians in
this ward. The latter are much more
like the Americans than the tom
mics" and while all get along very
well they seem more friendly than
the "Tommies". We haven't come in
contact with any French soldiers ex-
cept as we met them on the street.
We are quite well quartered and
very well fed, much better than | had
expected. We miss fruit and sweets
but of course these are luxuries anv-
where except in California, and per
%sonally | am quite satisfied. In case
you want to send anything. there is
nothing along this line which would
seem better than nuts, dried fruit or
any kind of sweets or candy or Amer
lean tobacco. The English tobacco is
awful stuff.
My nurse, an English nurse, or
Sister, as they call them here, has
been in the states and has passed
through Santa Ana several times and
remembers it quite well. Strange
how we met that way.
often think of all of you. 1t does
not do to think too much, of course,
as you know. No mail has reached
me from the states but trust you
are getting along all right. One batch
of mail arrived Wednesday which was
dated May Is, st, Louis, so | suppose
yours would hardly have had time to
reach there in time to be forwarded.
Well, every day that passes brings
the end of the war one day closer.
The feeling seems to be that this
summer will end it.
Give my best wishes to all,
Your son,
WALT.
Another letter received from Wal
ter by his parents says that there are