The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-07
LIEUT.. BRADLEY IS GIVEN ASSIGNMENT IN 164TH INF FANTRY Birmingham Man is With Company M of the North
 Dakota Regiment TELLS DIFFICULTY
 OF GETTING MAIL Writes Interestingly of Impressions Boys Get of the War on This
 Side of the Water

Lieut.. Leon C. Bradley has now been | permanently assigned.
 He is with Company M, 164th infantry' in France, composed chiefly Of Nortn
 Dakota boys.
 Some of the difficulties which the boys
 abroad have in getting their mall are shown in a letter received by one or Lieutenant Bradley's associates on The Age Herald. received yesterday. It reads in part:
 France, February 14, 1918. Just brief little note in reply to your letter, dated November 30. re- ceived it about two weeks ago. during the last few days of January, but l have been on the go since that time and could not answer sooner "I wrote you very long letter about 1 January 20, telling you about week had spent in the line with the Cana dians. I presume that you received it. unless it was accidentally lost Mail usually goes pretty quick to the United States, unless there is some unforeseen mishap. As I don't know what ships carry mail I can never tell whether my letters reach their destination or not-l
 simply trust to luck It takes me fear fully long time to hear from the states. Since early in December I have not been at any one place as long as two weeks at time. It has certainly played the 1 dickens with my mail. It never catches up with me. When I received your let l ter got 15 or 20 in the same package, | all were written in November, except a couple about December g. They had av- eraged two months reaching me. "A friend of mine told me that he had l seen about 15 letters and half dozen packages addressed to me about month ago at a place I had just left. l think | they will catch me soon.
 WILL COME BETTER
 Since I am now with regiment ana company, I am certain my mail Will come better The other officers in tnls regiment get mail usually within four | to five weeks They also get packages and newspapers in about the same time l So I am taking renewed hope despite some rather great discouragements l | have had.
 q see in the newspapers Paris edi- tions of American papers) that the Christmas mail and packages still on | hand are now going out and Will be dis tributed without delay. The papers state that many improvements are to be made | in getting our mail to us. For which, I let me state, I will be thankful WITH N. D. BOYS "I am assigned to Company M, 164th in fantry. Most of the officers and men are from North Dakota. This is one or the peculiar tricks of fate in the army Several of my friends and associates or the past several months were assigned to the 167th infantry (Fourth Alabama). Of course I would naturally prefer be- ing with men from my own state, while the officers assigned to the l67th were from other states. and would just as soon lRhave been with North Dakota. ol course. I like the new regiment 1sne. 1 The officers are a nice crowd. I knew some of them before. I am getting along a. K. and anticipate a very pleasant time. know of no regiment outside or my own state that would prefer to oe with. I can't tell you anything further about where we are located now "T left the place where I was Febru- ory and travelled to many places De- fore coming here a day or two ago. changed trains just 15 times. I went to some very beautiful places. and then 10 some not quite so beautiful. I had 10 report to people located in rather out of the way places before being definitely assigned to this company. Incidentally' I had to go to Paris twice during the mast two weeks This was quite nice when you recall that practically no | American line officers or men ever get l to Paris.
 sThe weather has been fine for the past month. Of course. it Is not fine compared with Alabama, but if has not been very cold and has not rained much, I really have not suffered from cold excert on a day or two during the past month. Compared with November. De- cember and the first part of January. it seems almost unbelievable-I am afraid l it can't last.
 SOME WAR" INFORMATION q would like to write you many things about the war and it's conduct, but, or course that is out of the question. Tne American newspapers over here carry kind of pony" cable service from the United States with dope on the war ac-
 tiYties.
 q see that some of our wise leaders want to emulate the Russian army have mass meetings and vote on all military maneuvers after a full and open discussion of all phases of the situation the recruits and veteran generals to | have an equal voice. I presume, how ever, that the people will insist that the army be run as military organization