The Raymer enterprise., 1918-11-28
LETTER RECEIVED
FROM ANDY ALLEN


The following letter was received
from A d. Allen. Jr., who left for
training camp early this summer.
We published a letter Of his some
weeks ago:
Camp Mills. L. I. A. E. F. NY.
G. r Graves, New Raymer, Colo.
Dear Sir:
Since my last letter, our division
tSth) has crossed the continent, and
we have been on the transport twice
ready to sail over seas. and peace ne
gotiations have delayed us both
times.
We have been encamped In tents.
but yesterday. We moyed into bar
racks, and guess we are due to stay
here all winter. We are a regular ar
my division and will probably be the
last troops to be mustered out
Dan Wyatt il here. his regiment.
the 62nd, is still quartered in TENTS.
Don't know what they expect to do.
They are building barrack for eighty
thousand men.
One cannot describe the irnmeace
amount OF work that Is being done
here. Simply stupendous is the only
way. The camp Ia about thirty miles
from New York City and is to be one
of tn echef rehabilitation camps.
Last time spoke OF our amuse-
ments. This time will tell some of
our troubles. A soldiers chief sor-
row is his pack. A pack may be any
thing but 1t is usually everything
There are three kinds Of packs. a
light, field and heavy pack. A light
pack contains, mess kit, a pair OF
socks, comb. towel. soap. tooth brush.
comement can and bayonent. A field
pack contains: one shelter half, one
blanket, under clothes, two pair
socks, oneintrenching tool. (pick. sho-
vel, or AK one O. d. shirt, five wood
en- tent pins, one folding tent pole,
and the articles mentioned In light
pack. To get heavy pack. (accent
heavy you add the following arti-
cles to field pack. One over-coat,
two Blankets, one rain coat, one pair
steel faced shoes. weight six pounds)
one steel helmet. two pounds hard
bread. thard tack) two pounds Of
canned corn beef. called willie, two
pair socks, house wife and toilet ar
ticles. In fact. every thing that you
have you have on when you shoulder
heavy pack. A soldier carrying a
heavy pack looks. like a cross between
steam roller and a pack burrow.
have been watching myself to see
which ] grow first. long ears, OF q
smoke stack. In addition to the PACK
you carry your rifle and cup, canteen
OF water, first aid pack. and revolver
on your belt, also one gas mask ar
onnd your neck. They say that YOU
get used to pack after you have ear
ried 1t for six months but l don't be-
ieve 1t, as have carried on. that
long lots OF days and am nc; used
to 1t yet Another one Of our sor-
rows is our rap leggings. These are
two STRIPS OF O. d. cloth four inches
wide and four yards long. These are
raped around your log just like the
paper on one Of those patent PEN
cils The leggings and ali the rest
of our clothes have to be put on In
eight minutes in the morning II one
Of those leggings get away from
you 1t takas ten minutes to half an
hour to get 1t under control again,
and you miss revely. then you get a
couple days kitchen police. How
ever, ! have my leggings pretty well
broke and haven't been on X p. for
six or seven days now. We have
fatigue caps now instead of our hats.
The rap leggings and cap are only
issued to troops going over seas and
our outfit is the only one in wearing
this uniform. The news OF peace
was queitly received in camp. drill
went on quite the same. Civilians
made great deal OF noise around
camp, but the boys made very little
noise. Some OF the boys who were
in N. Y. City that night say the city
! simply went wild.
Well peace has come. We were not
among those who went. We wish we
had, but we didn't and now our only
question is. whs y we 20 home,
Yours truly.
Andy u. Allen.
Co. r. 18th Inf.
Camp Mills. Long Island.
A. II. +. New York.
= Word Of Caution.
May ! say Just word before YOU
impose sentence?" asked the street
rogluaa a.