Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-09-20

! Your devoted son,
ROBERT C. NEEL.
Co, A, 10th Motor Supply Train,
/ Camp Funston, Kansas.
American Expeditionary Force,
France, August 3, 1918.
Dear Father:
| have had no letter from you for
quite a long time, so | guess it is
time for me to write.
| have fully recovered from the eff
fects of the gas | got the first part
of June, so far as looks are concerned
but l can still tile that had good
dose. My lungs are not as good as
they were. You know is susceptible
to most anything when he is getting
over gas attack end Pm no cxcep-
ton. i keep Il cold most all of the
time and sometimes my muscles hurt
q little, but Pm getting lots of fresh
air, which will put me in fine condi-
ton in short while. | don't cough
half so much as | did week ago.
i have played in about ten games
of baseball since coming to this place
and l can play nearly as good as
ever did. with month or two of
good practice like | used to get at
Emory think | could play some very
good baseball. think / have bet
ter batting eye now and can stand
up to the plate unafraid. Who would
be scared Of q little baseball after
having the big shells whistle ground
them like VIC fellows have? You
can't scare these fellows at all by
throwing one at their head. They take
it as Il good joke and step up on the
next one over and knock it most out
Of sight.
| One of the boys who has just left
been promoted to Pharmacists mate,
Bird class. Most of the boys that
were in the June fighting did such
good work that the Rcgimcntal sur
gcon promoted them. | don't know
for sure until | get back and that is
why | am so anxious to hurry back,
or rather one of my reasons. l new
CT will forget how we fought those
first few days of June. We waded
right through the Germans ard when
| look back | don't see how any of
us ever get thru alive. just consid-
or 1T one OF my many pieces Of pure
dogs luck. We worked and fought
for five days and four nights with
out sleep and very, very little to
est. When we did eat it was canned
| anu Dlciu. we call INC
meat Monday meat" and tic bread
outlet proof bread" The bread was
so hard that one could hardly stick
4 bayonet thru it. | saw truck run
over loaf and not mash il one bit
Well, we ate lots of it and thought it
was fine. 1t was fine when we were
hungry. We were lucky to get any
thing for they were throwing lots of
she Is in the rear of our lines.
When we would stop 1T a place
our officers would give the command
dig in," ard believe INC we sure
learned to handle our little picks and
i shovels. | s:.w two of tie boys "dig
in" with bayontt and the top to
n mes gear, which is Il fiat lid of
aluminum. We dug n hole cbout
two feet wide, six feet long and tho
depih-well, if one WAS scared OF
he shells he didn't stop going down
deeper while he was in that position
Once | had hole about eighteen
inches deep ;.nd wien the shells start
cd coming over | commenced to go
deeper. Every time Il shell would
and myself would dig IL few inches
and il one hit exceptionally close we
would dig IL foot. When we left this
place, which WAS the woods that car
ries the name Of our corps now, we
had Il ho!e about six feet deep. Moth
. ing but direct hit could kill OF
wound us and we naturally thought
the Germans would never registe,
one or our hole, and Pm glad they
didn't, for | wouldn't be here, if they
had. ! would be Licking up dais-
les" somewhere, most likely in that
same hole
Daddy, one sure feels shuky in the
Knees en- his first "trip lover the top
"a and i'm not ashamed of it for
all the fellows are the same way. !
thought Of everything I had ever
done-good and bcd-and of lots OF
ta!ngs ! had neglected to do. Well,
that feeling leaves II fellow after he
goes few Yards and he dent give
q darn for anything afterwards They
laugh and joke with each c:hcr.
SAW one kill two Germans with his
bayonet and laugh ell the while. 1t
just seems that they are IN a dream
OF just half crazy. ! have never
seen or ever want to see such things
again.
We hospital men had our hands full
from the time it started until long
after it stopped. We treated Ger.
mans after fixing our boys up and
some of them were grateful ;.nd some
were not. One thing sure. The Huns
nave met their matches and they
know it. Our boys are so far ahead
of them in every kiEd of fighting that
there can be 10 comparison. We are
going to win and lots of the Boche
know it-all know it that have been
against the U. S. Marines.
The artillery is the most effective
'7capon ever used in war. Gas can
not hold light for these heart
:cnding screams and explosions that
come from the big shells. The shells
will get anybody's goat.
| Well, it is time for "chow," so I'l
stop. hoping this finds you all well
;nd happy. Write real soon.