The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-12-31
FATHERS DAY AMONG The SOLDIERS
American Army and Navy Honors Dad by Setting
Aside a Fathers Day." for Men to Write
Home to Dad Letters are Arriving and Dad
is Tickled
PRESS OF AMERICA PRINTS THEM

: who is in France with the A. E. F
! Floyd King attended school at Black
foot and is we'll known here:
In France, Nov. Is, 1918
: Dear Mother:
Will write a few lines today tt
let you know that | am well, enjoy
ing life and getting along nicely.
sure hope this finds all of you thu
same.
| l have received several letter.
from you during the last couple Of
months and am sorry to say | was
not In a position to answer then
right away and write more Otter
than / did, but was too busy and
was not at place where could gel
stationery. ,., -r..
The part of France that l have
been in for the last two months is
a battle field or was with no civil.
ians in the towns. After we would
drive the Boche from a town there
would usually be nothing left except
the bare houses, stripped of all fur
niture and valuables, SO you can see
exactly how it has been. OF course
in some of the recently captured
towns we have found several civil
ians also "beauxoup' saurkraut and
lots of cabbage and turnip patches
In one little town, which we took,
the civilians handed us hot sweet
coffee and some of the fellows were
lucky enough to get piece of bread
with jam on it, which sure went
'good to us hungry boys. 1t is sure
surprising to think that those French
people who have been held prisoners
for over four years could give us
boys sweet coffee.
We got hold of some Boche bread
with but very little if any -four in
it. 1t was awfully heavy, but tasted
pretty good -...".
We are just about to receive an
issue of brand new clothes. We are
to receive everything from caps down
to shoes. 1t will be nice too, for
maybe then we can get rid of the
Coolies Anyway we can doll up
and look like we did in the states
once more.
| am certainly glad that this little
old war Is over. 1t will mean that
there will be no more lodging big
shells and bullets; no more wearing
of gas masks and steel hats; no more
sleeping in wet hole with wet
| blankets and no more other incon-
veniences which the Americans have
gone thru in order to whip the Hun.
We sure did good job of it anyway
and | am proud to say that l fought
in the American army in 1918 and
| am especially proud of the fact
that have been with the old Rain
bow division, for we sure had the
Huns scared of us for the Forty
second is one of America best di-
visions. We have fought on four
different fronts; taken prisoners
from over twenty enemy divisions;
drove the Hun for countless kilo-
meters and defeated the Second
Prussian Guards, Hun outfit that
had not been whipped in all the four
years of fighting. We not only de-
feated them but we drove them back
for over sixteen kilometers north of
Chateau Thierry. So you can judge
for yourself whether or not this old
nainbow division can fight,
Now that the war is over the uues-
ton fhow soon we will come home
arises Good only knows. | would
like to come right now, but common
sense will teach us that it will be
impossible for us to get home for at
least few months yet. Uncle Sam
is going to keep his army over here
until every little detail is fixed up
first rate and Germany quieted down
and the government running things
smoothly again. Until those things
are fixed up We will not be back, but
I'll tell you these next few months
are going to be like years to we boys
who have been over here doing all
the fighting. l truly believe that
the Forty-second will be one of the
first American divisions to be sent
home.
We are having some pretty cold
weather at present, tho no worse
than to be expected for this time of
the year. 1t is a damp cold with
lots of wind; not like the high dry
cold out home. Sunny France" is
not sunny at this time of the year.
1t Is freezing ice all the time and
am looking for snow any day now.
l suppose you folks are having some
chilly weather at home now.
l see in the papers that Paris,
London and New York went wild
over the news of the armistice. Il
would just liked to have been in
Paris on that day for | know the
kind of time they had. | can about
imagine what took place in New
York and London too. l could hardly
believe 1t when news reached us that
an armistice was on for we had just
been relieved at the front and were
going back for couple Of days rest
and sleep. 1t seemed almost i'm
possible to me and / can hardly
realize it yet, but nevertheless it is
true and am the happiest boy in
the world too.
| would not take an even million
dollars for my experiences in this
little old war and l would not give
two cents to 60 thru 1t again, tho
guess If our old Uncle Sammie ever
has trouble in the future | will be
one of the first to enlist. have
no use in the world for man be-
tween eighteen and thirty years OF