River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-11-21
River Falls Girl
Writes From Oversee

We publish below extracts from
Overseas" letters written by Miss
Mildred Ensign to her mother, Mrs.
F. d. Ensign, of this city.
Miss Ensign was born and reared
in River Falls. She later took the
training as nurse at St. Luke's
hospital, in St. Paul, and had spe-
clal training in Anesthesia with the
Mayos of Rochester, Mimi, and
also course in Xray work in New
York City. She had been located
IN the west the past ten years, at
Aberdeen, Wash, and at Tacoma.
Here she has earned the reput alton
OF being one of the best Anesthetics
on the coast. Over year ago Miss
Ensign enlisted as a Red Cross
Army nurse with San Francisco
unit, and in June she sailed from
New York with the nurses of Base
Hospital AZ. After a safe voyage
we find her with the rest of her unit
at work in France, with Base hos
pital 43, at Blois, where nurses were
needed, Base AZ not having been
constructed at that time.
Julv Oath she writes, 1.-THE war
news seems so encouraging these
DAYS that some of the boys begin to
talk about being at home for Christ
mas. The boys come in with first
hand news from the front, but we
are all so busy that we hardly have
time to talk with them. We don't
have time to catch our breath be-
tween trains. Such a cheerful lot
of boys you never saw. No matter
what their deformity they take 1t
with splendid grace, and when the
new boys come in it is both inter
esting and pathetic to see the old
patients. as many as are able to do
so, crowd around trying to help un-
! dress them, and hanging on every
word. Everyone who can move at
all, lends hand. About the first
thing that is done when a man
comes from the trenches, is to de-
louise him. Some day we may have
to be doing that very thing for our
selves. Well, / expect to have all
the thrills of the war before it is
over"
Aug. 2nd. mo new patients
have come in the past week, and
the ones that are here are so rapid
lv convalescent that we have not
had much network on hand. The
drive must have slowed down for a
while. Naturally my line Of work
has taken slump and l have de-
voted myself largely to the Detach-
ment office work. Some of our
nurses have been laid out with a
sort of ptomaine poisoning, but
your daughter keeps plugging away
and seems to be standing the work
verv we'll. had SO anesthetics
chalked up to my credit last month
after the 9Th, so perhaps have not
altogether loafed on my job"
Aug. 5th. ''Well, we are all ex-
citemenr again, for we all packed
up and waiting for orders 10 depart
into the great unknown once more.
We hope it will be in the direction
Of our own base, for while we have
enjoyed it here and shall leave this
town with great deal of regret,
we are all tired of living in our suit
cases. AS yet we have never un-
packed our trunks and it has been
nearly two months. l surely am
ENJOYING my work to the fullest ex-
tent, while regretting the necessity
of it all. We have been exceeding
ly busy again for few days follow
ing the arrival of new patients.
Often these patients are expected
at night, and someone comes to our
quarters about IL o'clock and tells
US we will have to go on duty at
| 1890. There is no use trying to
sleep for such little time so we all
get up. About IL an orderly comes
to say the train has been delayed
and we may sleep until 2:30. Of
course, no one does sleep, but we
wait until about that time and then
90 on duty. About 500 our work
begins. At first we feel a little
peeved about it, but that soon
wears off, and we can see the hu-
NOR of being called so often.'
Aug. 28th. "Base Hospital AZ,
eastern France.) We are enjoy
ing a most delightful change in the
weather for which we are truly
thankful, for the heat and dust
were almost uncomfortable. We had
a most spectacular scene the other
night. In the first place the sum
sets here are something wonderful,
and of all nature think love them
the best. We were all watching a
most gorgeous one, when up came
thunderstorm from the south.
The thunder Numbered and the
lightning flashed, and the wind
blew a gale but through it all the
sunset held its own, and if anything
grew more brilliant. In the east in
the midst of all this, the full moon
had the courage to rise. Can you
i'm agine a scene so rare as this?
We had a vaudeville show the
other night, given us by the enlist
ed men. The enlisted men, as you