The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-03-03
AMERICAN BOY
VERDUN FRONT
TOWARD PRISONERS
OF WAR

~ W
young man to his mother, and who
Is doing service in the American
Volunteer Motor Ambulance corps,
not far from Verdun, in France, is
n of the most interesting COM
m%unications that has been received
in America in a long time.
The young mans mother turned
the letter over to Eliot Norton,
} director in America for the Ameri-
can Volunteer ambulance corps, who
states that anybody wanting to join
the service in France can be &C
commodated by addressing him at
2 Rector street. New York City.
The letter follows:
mot far from Verdun,
December %, 1916.
Dear Mama
Maybe you think that my head
has been turned by the glory and
glamour of this war, etc. Let me
tell o that although there is a
lot of that rot in the newspapers.
ShS'p 10 hohC III hhCS. nave
heard W. bugles since I have beer
here and both those were warnings
to the people that a bomb-dropping
aeroplane was overhead. There are
no pretty drills and no dress other
than service uniforms. Everyone's
single thought is to do his duty for
France from the smallest kids to the
oldest here.
Here is an example,: | am living
temporarily in a house where /
sleep in a bed-wonder of wonders.
We are ZEN repos,' literally in
repose.' Everybody expects that the
! army division to which We are at
tached will soon be sent into the
hardest kind of fighting and we are
getting into the best condition pos
sible for it. So we are quiet now,
although still within hearing of the
big guns.
1.-THE owner of this house Is a
little stopped old French lady Is
years old. She has four sons now
fighting and one dead. She also
has five grandchildren fighting. She
has sent her three grand-daughters
away so as to give the soldiers the
comfort of the house. She not only
gives her house, but does every
thing to make us comfortable, max
ing beds, drying shoes, ETC., doing
laundry and building fires. be-
lieve that all she gets to eat is what
is given her. And when you ask
: her why all this-'C'est pour la
patrie' CIT is for the native land')-
and dismisses it with a gesture.
And that is typical and not at
all unusual. We must put Ger
many down where she will never
again be a menace That Is not a
8 bombastic slogan to hide a selfish
policy. 1t is in the heart and soul
of the French people. There is no
: hatred of the Germans as in Eng
land. The prisoners here are treat
ed exactly as the French Poilu.
They nave the same food and do the
ing roads around here and are very
II happy. If there were more here
Il there would be less French soldiers
n working on the roads, too, but as it
is there are as many French sol
n diers as Germans working on the
d roads and all working together and
q in perfect harmony. There is nc
i hate here, but just the attitude that
it is necessary to win the war for
the good of France and the world.
1t is always and the world
81 have found hat | love France
y 1t is wonderful. There are real
q sacrifices here and real patriotism
: The Frenchman loves his country
: first, is proud of her next, and will
= do anything without thought of the
& cost for her. And the French
G women, too. Perhaps they have
given more. Anyway. they do ne
y get the excitement. They are won
derful.
n after | am through here l will
S be a better man for seeing the
4 French. will work harder than
} ever did. feel far better thar
| ever did at home. Love to all.
Please be careful of yourself.
Your loving son,