Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-10-17
Our Soldier Boys.

4
glorious victory aud | would moi have I
missed taking part in it for anything
in the wsrld. / am now safely IN the
hands of the Red Cross, miles behind !
the lines, and before you receive this
may be again with my regiment. My
first wound kept me- in just W days;
the Red Cross il doing work that Is
truly wonderful | commanded the
brigade reserve, consisting OF the lst
Battalion of 35ith regiment and two
Machine Gun Companies OF the 4lst.
We We're the second wave Il Ego
overn and did not encounter much
resistance, until the WOODS were
reached: there il was hot for awhile
but they gave way and surrendered
by the hundreds when We ~ou.tianked
them. Their morale was nil. We
| went three niles beyond The objective
and were still going when was 'oTc-
ed TO quit. Our losses were light.
Wish ! could explain it all at this
time-the artillery preparation, tanks,
planes, balloons, nlortars and the
brave conduct of my men. The sun
was just rising and a beautiful rainbow
appeared on the horizon. as we went
"over the rop." 1t had been raining
all night, and the men lay or stood IN
water for six hours during artillery
preparation andin addition Witl,stood
heavy shellipg by Jerry during it all.
We may be home by Spring; next
Fall at the latest. Hope | shall then
be able to forget what | have seen-
friends and comrades not SO lucky as
myself"
Russell Riggs, 55th Co, 9Th Regi-
menf, L. S. Marine Corps writes un-
der date OF August 25tb: II am back
witch the company now. ! joined at
the front and was with them two days
before We were relieved. We hiked
several times and are now billeted IN
a French village, with a regular
routine, from rcvei!le to retreat. This
is Sunday afternoon aud am lying
on a blanket in an orchard behind our
4 billet. II is nice and COO after the
rain Yesterday. 1t was the first rain
we have had for some time and it was
sure needed A letter has also been
received from him dated September
10, saving he was we'll at that time.
{. Paul Keith writes from Hotel Plaza,
Havana, Cuba, under date of July q,
: ave pulled into harbor here about &
O'Clock this morning and came ashore
s about s. This is q quaint town. Very
few speak English. but all speak
n Spanish. There are only two or three
streets here that are more than 20 IT.
k wide. The buildings are mostly low.
There are six Or seven hundred thous-
q and people here. The Plaza Hotel
is the incest hotel I eve saw. We
n sure had a splendid trip from New
Orleans.H In O. letter from L. $. Naval
II Patrol Station. Cristobal, Canal Zone,
dated August 2, he writes, u arrived
a here yesterday all q. X. This is a
station right III Colon, but Cristobal IS
e the American town. 1t is d nice
IS place, but can hardly breathe. They
kept q OF us here for patrol duty. We
d ara right on the Canal. We go swim
n ming in it every day. They keep
several Subchasers and Torpedo boats
here" August s he writes: II like
n it pretty we'll here. 1t is winter now,
and 1t sometimes gets as cold as nine
ty degrees in the shade. Summer be.
y Gins September /. ] went through
the Jungle over at Coco Sofa and ate
some wild bananas and cocoant,ts. II
ID is II regular African jungle, except ii
has no large wild animals. There il a
dense underground full Of small
40 animals and large and poisonous
snakes. I would very much like for
Won to send me the Iron and Reynold;
County papers. Tell the boys where
he am and tell them to write to me, as
n ! am SO busy / don't get much tim,
to write to them" On August IL b,
Id says: ~ was over at Balboa an
ay Panama CITY on the Pacific side a few
to days ago, They ste real pretty places
Everything is practically owne'
Tia by the L, s. Government. ] be
as, lieye the climate is agreeing wit
no me. l eat mere than l yer did and
re. am gaining in weight. They real,
Ter need mel now, as all the stations oul
~, side thOU. S. have more work tina
nd they can do. The American army is &C
"a ing fine in France. isn'tit? lhave som
good friends down here, one of thes
Il boy from Lamar who Am dow
here from the Great Lakes. A let.e
of August % says: II notice in tn
On casualty list Of a Chicago paper date
It'll August $, that Edwin A. Reed, of De
vi Arc, had been severely wounded.
he alao noticed the name Of n bov froi
o00 Epedericktown with whom l hay
GET played baseball aud basket ball.
10. met a boy here the Other day frol
of Fredericktown. am going to try al
the get transferred to the Atlantic Fle'
and get on a battle ship. l like it til
,rn here, but it is too hot for me-" O
Ia. August " he says, at Ia summer tim
mn. here now and is so hot | can hardly su1
O vive. A bunch OF us are going on tt
!, A rifle range to qualify for expert riff
in. men. have already qualified fl
oh, sharp shooter"
Private A. Il. Polk, sol Q. M. M.
q s., A. Il. F., writes on September
,uis ut has been raining most all da,
.es. We had a long dry spell just ~ "
,ry, did. 1t began to rain September .
n and We sure needed it. would III
,ph to see you all very much and will ce
M tainly DO glad when the time comes
W come home. don't think that Il
, B end can be many months longer.
ice lust finished making me a pillow ca
Vim out OF some cloth got yesterd'
Mi. evening. I am soine seamstress.
had not washed my clothes for tp
Mrs weeks, so had a pretty big bunch
- a.uLI' sveSA damn IN tho rivar a