El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-06-20
DURKEE CALLS
FRENCH HEROES
Says American Army Must
Win The War-Great
Work of Y. NJ. G. A.

I Howard B. Durkee. former general
secretary Of the FL Paso E.3LCA-
now in France working with the sol
diers. writes most Interestingly Of
the conditions over there and his eff
forts with the soldiers. in a letter 90
{ J. H. Nations. president o. the El
I Paso "Y.' He also says a good word
/ for the new FL Paso secretary. S. j.
B BRENT. In his letter. written May 8,
I he says i'm part
From the day 7 landed out in the
I field the first day of January. tili
now. I have been in sound of the big
guns on the front but while ] have
heard so many and seen countless
numbers OF them and been in towns
under shell fire a couple Of times, I
Z have not got in the way Of any OF
them.
Wet and Cole
Physical conditions over here are
very difficult. because &c is So con-
tinually wet and cold, and the people
do not have modern houses as we
know them Even when one gets to
live in a house, which is but a part
Of the time, one is but little better
ot1-certainly no warmer the pigeon
roOst is quite as good A good many
OF our men have had to go back for
that reason. But beyond bad colds
have been o. X
"Our boys are a great and fine lot
OF meu-not fine army, yet But
they are sure working into IL fast
The French have the army. 7 cannot
express my admiration for them as
soldiers and for their army But our
men are also 20 make a great army
I am I'm the field at present. with an
ammunition train, which I follow IN
its shifts from point to point. Ii is
made UP largely of a very rough.
hardy lot Of men and only wish you
could be here a night or two and
watch them and listen 70 them. as
they come iu from midnight tin morn
ing from their hard nights work,
getting ammunition up 90 the bat
teries and 'doughboys' right in the
midst OF the fighting.
Men With Real Grit.
we serve them hot tea with some
sweet biscuits as they come nlukins
in out Of the dark and wet and cold.
and, Of course, after the excitement
and hard driving and labor Of the
past hours, they are fun of talk and
jokes and laughter Ii is a very vivid
experience each Of these nights and
am sure you would never forget such.
And night after night they go out.
knowing IL is likely they are not TO
come back In the morning, but they
30 with smiling faces and many
jest. and each time they get in an es-
pecially hot place and get away they
regard 10 as having fooled Fritz and
the joke is on him and they find 10
very. very funny, How's that2
French Are Heroes.
cur men are an right and are
aklug wonderful army you need
not worry about them But we need
more Of them, many. many times as
many as we have now see no signs
1ver here Of an early peace It
seems TO be up 90 the United States
n Cd D. n.
that viii bring peace I could not +
possibly tell YOU how 7 miss my .
home. and. Of course, tens OF thou I
sands Of others feel the same, but .
when we see how these people over I
here have been and are sacrificing T.
or this war. one does not dare think 4
lf ones own troubles
The professions Of refugees flee B
nE from the occupied territories.
heir big two-Wheeled carts piled .
ngh with household goods little .
BOYS and girls rranDiuE srOurIV along .
md old men and women driving the .
ken or horses. or holding YEARLY on 4
% the backs Of the carts-these are
he beastly things that make one .
wear we will see this thing through /.
Z lt takes ten years
The Associations Work.
'The association over here is quite T
he big factor we back there at home .
lad hoped 20 might be. This war
usiness is so foreign 10 our ordinary
.fe. it IS so unnatural and the assoc
iation is a small patch Of the old
-S-A home life that men can drop
lto and halfway get out Of the war
tmosphere Bit And the an doui-
ating demand for some relief from
errain physical conditions. craving
or tobacco and sugar products and
rui-s-to satisfy these elemental de-
hands is largely our privilege. To is
great job and the feeling one comes
% have soon is that no man IS big
nough for DO. and 10 is "a very great
leasure 10 be able to say the Off
ers afford US every possible aid in
UP endeavo-s TO be OF widest possi-
le use 20 the men, II is our policy,
s. FAR as possible. TO keep the see-
erary with the same outfit. so he
ONES TO know and work most
mo0thlv with both officers and men.
.ut- owing TO 20 so continual shifting
units and reforming bodies Of
ROOFS, this is difficult Today. for
lstaure, my outfit is freshly streun
trough -FOUR different villages and I
rite you this letter from q fifth.
Ut truck TO transport this stock
Villages None Too Clean.
such "a maize or villages ] never
-eamed Of and people have lived in
lem so Ions. We were amused at @
oman in "a wee little village who fin I
1swer TO our question as 10 how old
very old looking church might be-
aside which she lived said she did
1t know-she had lived there only
years. I slept fin little inn the
Their night In another village. be-
de a chateau and a chanel built in I
20. Ii is n most beautiful country.
pc the villages do not bear close in- D
lection. AT "a distance they look Ike NJ
dream. really. but on the inside M
n glad I was reared in the good old I
S-A u
CA recent letter from Fl paso tells u
the engagement OF BRENT Of Fort NJ
orth. as general secretary. He has NJ
id long experience and should make NJ
lu what YOU need. a good. solid and ]
20 aggressive secretary certainly 10
'pe it means good days for that as
ciation-~ u