Mexico Missouri message., 1918-03-28
A Soldier Boy
Writes His Mother
Stumbles Over The Bodies Of Dead
Huns-Thinks "a Dead Soldier OF
No Use To His Country''-AerO-
plane Battles Daily.
In France, Feb. Is, 1911

Dear Mother:
We are in the biggest circus I ev-
er attended 1t is better than COM
bination of Ringing Bros, Buffalo
Bill and Barnum & Bailey. Some
thing is doing every minute, and in
the air. | have resrved seat
where l can see enough to satisfy
the eye of the most curious. We are
at the front.
They shipped us near here in box
cars. We marched by day until it
was too dangerous to travel in large
bodies. Then we were split into
small detachments for the rest of
the way to our base. l commanded
one of the sections. l learned that
part of the company was to be sent
forward that night to a more dam
geruos position. 1 found I was not
to go at that time, but I begged the
captain to let me go, so he consent
ed, and l am now the acting First
Sergeant of our forward party
Thrilling is a mild description for
our trip. Shells were bursting all
around us while we carefully CROP
ed our way over the war-swept tor
rain.
We are now living in a cave. 1t
is amusing to live like rats in
hole. Still, our quarters are dry and
comfortable. Besides we are so far
underground we are safe. They
shell our dugout every night. Every
day l make a tour of inspection of
our working parties. Such scenes
of desolation l never dreamed of,
Villages are piles of stone, forests
are cut down, and the torrain is
completely covered with shell
holes.
When the Germans left this place
they must have gone in a hurry,
for the ground is virtually covered
with Boche helmets, clothes, aban-
doned munitions, wrecked shelters,
and equipment of every particular.
Several times l stumbled over the
bodies of dead Huns. When the bod
les are found they are buried and
simple little cross is fashioned out
of a couple of little broken sticks. 1t
is a French custom to always respect
the dead. At one place l found
poor devil buried in the bottom of
trench with his foot sticking out.
These sights touch me deeply, yet
am making myself hard, for these
days demand that a man must steel
himself to duty regardless of the
flashes of tender emotion which
come to him.
The other day | made a tour Of
inspection with our captain and a
French captain. We found dead
German in an unfreQuented place
with his face turned toward heaven.
The French captain looked at him,
then turned away with sigh. He
said to me, "That reminds me of the
many brave comrades of mine who
have fallen" o, those French sol
diers are fine fellows! They are our
brothers-brother whom we have
found amidst blood and steel, and
they are the truest brothers of all.
We have a great bunch. Sunday
our dugout was being shelled. We
didn't stay inside under cover, but
rushed out and watched the fire
works, betting all the time where
the next shot would hit. Fortunately
none of us were hit. 1t is daily
sight to see aeroplane battles, and
we are now learning to be more eau
tious, for whenever we are outside
we are in constant danger Besides
n dead soldier is of no use to his
country!
One of our officers, l learned las'
night, is to make an inspection Of
some posts very near the German
lines. | asked him to take me so h'
has consented to take Harold Hayes
and me with him. hope to get
shot at a Boche, Hayes and arr
st,ll together, We have lunch TO
gether and have shared everything
good and bad, ever since we joine'
the army. / was glad that we two
with our good captain, were the mrs
at the head of the column to maroi
under the shell fire.
NOW, don't worry about me, 10
when YOU get this / will probably b
in a rest camp waiting for my mex
turn at the guns, l wish you coui
see this place where | live The Ger
mans built 1t when they were mere
The sergeants have a room whicl