Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-10-21
Soldiers Are Enthusiastic to
Meet Enemy and Training Is
Being Carried on Near Fight
ing Front
PLENTY OF GOOD FOOD
BUT NO INT0XICANTS
Natives Admire Americans Be-
cause of Splendid Physique
and Orderly Conduct and
Courtesy,
(By Laurence Jerrod, Who Visited
the Camp.)

The american eXpeditionary forces
in France" are not yet at the front,
although they are burning to be there,
but they are not far from the front.
| I have just spent a few days with
them watching them get to business.
They are getting to business with real
American energy and go-aheadness,
and with the warm help, gratefully
received, of French and British in
structors who have had three years of
war already and know what it Is.
The first American troops landed
in France in June. l saw them land,
and when recoilected that tn, other
f.sgsa s,ss o-s.s,sSg sss,5 ..Sssl & y '..S' ?
The American rroupr in their bill
lets, their camps, their training
grounds near the front, are already
absolutely nj nome.
American Lingo.
| The French villagers have adopted
now a broken Franco Ian
guage-sister tongue, though differ
ent to the now classic Anglo-French
spoken for three years from Calais
| downwards
The American troops have made
themselves at home, have settled all
| their arrangements with business-like
! finality, and are out to do their job
thoroughly. Their bases near the
front seemed to me already definitely
organized.
Aggressive Sanitation and No
Whiskey.
They are settled In villages. where
they disturb the villagers by aggres-
sive sanitation. They have abolished
all dunghills, to the old farmers
amazement and alarm. They have
purified the water, cleaned up streets,
cottages and farm yards. The VII
layers, at first terrified by these wild
measures are now reconciled, and
every little village grocery sells
American matches, American tobacco,
American groceries. sterilized milk,
canned goods" American mustard,
and everything American except
American whiskey. For at the messes.
where I was received with open arms
as an ally Of today and forever-no
American officer makes any doubt
about that--cold American purified
water and French coffee with Ameri-
can sterilized milk are the only drinks.
Villages of France nave become
American, and American cafe au lait,
colored cars and motor bikes with
side cars tear all over the country,
driven by university boys turned
"chauffeurs."
Learning From the Allies.
| Our new allies are learning from
us both--from us old allies, English
and French. I first saw French d.
| vision in horizon blue teach the new
American army, in khaki, and wear
ing British trench helmets. what a
! modern battle is 1Tae. 1t was NOV.
| ing sight. 1t was poignant really, when
| one heard that the French division
had lust come back from Verdun and
was enacting over again in play what
| 1t had lust done in terrible and glori-
Gus earnest. The American staff
stood on a knoll watching, with the
French staff explaining. On the edge
of the hill to the left of the staff the
new American army watched. Further
to the left the French troops came on.
Every "poilu" among them had just
come from the real thing. He grin
ned as he played at war this time,
and one felt how he must enjoy play.
ing it now. But he played very we'll
and earnestly. The whole thing was
done as one has before watched it be-
ing done under less reassuring cir
cumstances for oneself The lines ad-
vanced in open formation, then stop
ped for the barrage fire to be pushed
forward. Flares were sent up to sig
nal to the artillery. There was an
other step forward under barrage fire.
another (sham) barrage fire. more
flares and rockets, the horizon-blue
line crept cautiously round to take the
first trenches, the machine gun par.
ties came up. One more barrage fire
and more signals, then the Boche
trenches below us were taken.
Who would not? These play-actors
IN the hollow at our feet had just
come from the real tragedy, and had