Williams news., 1918-03-21
LETTER FROM bAUCHARD
Fort Riley, Kansas, M. O. T. c. Tent 91

M. O. T. c. Tent 91 Dear Mother,
 Arrived all O. K. and am feeling fine under the circum- stances. We sure had a fine trip all the way here. We ate at the dining rooms of the Har- vey Houses all the way. But it looks as if we were going to have an awful fall from grace. Its a long way from chicken, ice cream and pie down to stew and coffee but we went all the way and for myself I hit with an awful jar. I guess I will get used to it tho. No milk or sugar or butter or anything but stew, not the kind Hunter likes so we'll, but just STEW.
 Its a long time since 1 wash ed any dishes or sewed on any buttons or did any hand laun- dry, but, as the fellow said, it certainly is remarkable what some people can learn to do. I even got up this morning and built a fire.
 It is colder than the dickens here. We sleep in tents about A feet square, 6 men in each tent, no ladies allowed. The tents are walled up about four feet high and have a floor. They are fairly comfortable altho they have a stove pipe about nine times as big as a stove pipe and also a hole 2 feet by 4 feet square above the door, for ventilation, and we can't close it ,only in case of rain. We have a stove just a. bout the size and shape of Dink Smiths big hat and it isn't near ly as warm.
 When we go to eat they line usup in rows, just like Hunter does his cabbage, only larger rows. Then we all march pass the cook house and they load the chow on our plates as we pass by, but if the guy with the big spoon misses either your plate or the food boiler you simply go on and postpone that meal until the next time and try again.
 We got our clothes today. Gee, if I don't get back before wear out all these clothes I wont be able to. They give each man l uniform, 2 shirts, 1 overcoat, 1 raincoat, 4 pair of socks, l hat, 2 pair of shoes, 3 suits of underwear, 8 blan- kets and a cot.
 The only thing I mind is the nights. It is awfully could and shiver so darn much my cot keeps moving around the room all night and 1 have the darnd- est time trying to keep these darn blankets over the cold spots. These blankets act like they were mad at each other for 1 sure cant keep them to- gether.
 We are inspected once every day by the Dr. who comes a. round and pries open your mouth and looks inside to see if everything is working O. K. Then the inspector general comes around and looks us and our equipment over every Sat- urday.
 We were all up yesterday for physical examination and they passed us all. Got a nee dIe jabbed in my arm about an inch and a half but it didn't hurt. Get another shot Mon day I guess.
 A fellow doesn't get to stand around here on one foot but has to stand up straight. When one of these birds with the stripes on his coat tells a fel- low to go he means go spelled with capital G. You can't stop to think it over or pick any flowers on the way, but go 5Tttsst as fast as your legs will let y1o6u!. y1o6u1! It certainly is wonderful sfHe way everything is done here! Every way you look here are soldiers drilling, just thous- ands of them.
 They are sending them out every day and new ones come to take their places.
 We'll, I will write more next | time
 A. O. Blanchard.