Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1918-07-04
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM EASTERN CAMP
Audubon Boy VINO Enlisted in The
Army Writes Of Ills First Elk.
periences In Camp

Audubon Boy VINO Enlisted in The
Army Writes Of Ills First Ex-
periences in Camp
| Mr.. and Mrs. T. c. Kester have
received an interesting letter from
their son Walter, who recently Joined
the army. He is located at Camp
Holabird, Baltimore, Md, and writes
the following interesting facts:
! We'll l have gotten here at Camp
at last. / arrived in Baltimore yes
terday afternoon. I managed to get
out here to camp just in time for
dinner. The rest of the day I spent
in getting examined and partially
classified.
had a fine trip all the way here.
l rode with man who is connected
with the food administration and who
was on his way to England. Mr..
Kenny was his name.
I stopped about 20 minutes in
| Washington, d. c.. and changed
trains. II hadn't had my suitcase
to carry around would have investi-
gated the city a little. AS it was I
saw Washington's monument from
the car window.
Camp Holabird is located on the
southeast edge of Baltimore and at
the end of Chesapeak Bay. Some Of
/ the back water from the bay is right
at the edge but of course the water is
very shallow The camp is one of
the smaller ones which has just been
| started. There are about three
thousand soldiers here now and more
are coming today. The entire camp
is devoted to the work Of the Quarter
master, particularly the mechanical
part. There certainly are a great
number of trucks. In one place
there are about five acres and the
trucks are packed in just as closly as
they can be. Then there is a
Quartermaster train of trucks about
three quarters OF a mile long, with
cars touching each other all the way
along.
They are planning on having the
biggest motor repair shop here of any
place in the United States, IL not in
the world. l have seen one of the
tanks of the U. S. since have been
here
Camp life has been perfectly ag-
reeable to me so far. I got my
uniform and complete outfit yester-
day. I have already learned to line
up for mess and wait for turn. We
are certainly well fed. Quite q
variety of good substantial food, and
plenty of it. OF course we do not
have all the comforts of home, but
everything possible is done for our
comfort. No one need to. suffer
from lack of care in this camp at
least. .
don't know just how soon we
will get to work in the shops and in
actual repairing, as the shops have
not been completed yet. / feel sure
that l will like the work.
We have to get up at 5:45 every
morning. The afternoon until 1880
is spent in drilling and various
other things. Then we have az
hour and thirty minutes for dinner
and after that comes the afternoon
work until $3.50. We have the
evenings free to ourselves.
This morning we had church SER
vices in the Y. M. C. A. building at
1890. The Chaplain gave fine
sermon. He is a young fellow and
seems like q very pleasant sort of q
fellow. This evening We have a
young peoples meeting, led by the
Baptist young peoples society OF
Baltimore. have not yet had a
chance to get acquainted with any
of the Y. M. c. A. workers, but
suppose that shall before long.
am writing this in the building as
there are no writing facilities in
the barracks.
When the shops get completed we
are to be transferred over to them.
then We will have interesting work.
There is q pretty good bunch OF
men here I think. Men who have
been in several places say that this
is one of he best. Discipline has
been very lax so far but very few Of
the men abuse their privilege. OF
course you find all classes of people
wherever you go.
The Y. M. C.. A. is quite active
although it too is only partially in
running order. They have several
bible classes. The chaplain has one
on Monday evening. One of the "Y"
secretaries on Thursday evening.
Wednesday night is the regular mid
week religious service. This is in
addition to the Sunday meeting,
morning and evening. Then too they
have entertainments of various kinds
nearly every evening. Ftfff
The Sunday evening service ut the
Y is in the form of regular young
peoples meeting. We cannot leave
camp on Sunday until noon, 80 I
suppose I will not get to visit the
jim Baltimore.
We are situated so close to. Balti-
more that II is easy to go TO the
city or over to big park which 10
located near there, where they have
music, dancing and other entertain
ment for the soldiers.
will have to wear my uniform
all the time. We all do our own
washing, so I will not have to worry
about that. I believe II one stayed
in the army q while he would learn
to take care Of himself without any
assistance.
Well. will close for this time and
write more of the camp life next
time after have learned more about
it. Feel perfectly assured that I am
all right and am getting along Just al
we'll as can be.
Your son, Walter.
80