Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-09-04

CLAllENCE uNDUkEV
SEES MUCH COUNTRY | R
Now Training ON Carlshom Field
in Florida Not in Love with
South.
Editor Tribune:
! know there are 80 many of my
friends who do not know where I an
and what l am doing.
II Is nice to hear from them but
10 not have time to write them all
ana take this means of writing Vol
snort letter, for publication II YOU
like. wv
MY first trip after leaving home II
March was for Kelley Field, San An
tonic, Texas. This trip was real inter
interesting for me. The farthest soutt
l mad ever been had been to RED
Wing, Mimi, and you can be sure
was thinking of the nice warm wealth
er OF the south, leaving the snow and
cold In Minnesota, but as you will sec
later I'D rather have the snow and
winter than all the south. The board
had arranged everything for me, mea
tickets, transportation, and even sleep
er Accommodations which so many have
to do without.
All I had to do was to sit and ride
and change whenever it was neces
sery. My first change was made al
st. Paul from the G.. N. to the c.
M. & st. Paul to Kansas City. As ]
am a good sleeper, l hit the hay. II
was not then like now, $3.50 and
lights out and everybody quiet down
l was alone as far as knew going
to Kelley, until in the morning of the
next day, l got acquainted with some
civilians, and talking to them found
out they were going to Texas also.
We soon were old friends, and thru the
whole trip managed to have a good
time.
Our train was a thru-train and did
not make many stops, and we soon
found ourselves in X. C. Mo.
Some depot they have in Kansas
City. Did not stay over here more
than four or five hours.
We took in some of the city, and
what we saw seemed to be busy.
In Kansas City.
They were having election. of some
kind that day. I'll not forget that, as
some of the boys wanted to get some
soft drinks CD but the saloons were
closed. Well as it was, no one in
charge of the gang, it was a good
thing. Booze is not very healthy for
a soldier anyhow.
Here we changed trains, and took
the Katy Flyer all the way thru. The
Katy travels somewhat faster than
the G. N. between Grue and Hawick.
We travelled right along. I saw the
Missouri river for the first time, 60
ing over it when leaving Kansas City.
Missouri or the country around
seems to be pretty much of yellow
clay. The river looked like it anyhow.
Logs and all kinds of junk was float
ing down it's wild stream.
I could notice gradually the diner.
ence in climate as we went along. !
saw more shacks and bum buildings
thru Missouri and Arkansas than !
ever have in my life.
Before coming to Texas things look
ed little green, and looked greener the
further we went along. You could
see fields of cotton all along the Katy.
You sure could tell you were in the
south.
One place we came upon a bunch
of negroes shooting craps near a cross
Ing, waiting for the train to 60 by. The
people all seem to move slower down
here than up north. I see the reason
why now. am just as slow. It is the
warm sun which makes one so lazy.
You seem to lose all pep.
We came into San Antonio In the
early part of Saturday evening. It
is so long ago forgot the date. After
locating some rooms, we went out
scouting. 1t seemed as tho you need
ed to be scout. The streets OF San
Antonio run in all directions. It sure
was a busy town; full of soldiers
back from Kelley and Fort Sam Hous-
ton. We soon made friends with the
other soldiers, who had some expert
ence-over their Rookie days-Who
gave us. some advice.
In Camp in Texas.
We decided to go out to camp on
Sunday morning to avoid the rush on
Monday. Camp is only 6 miles from
San Antonio, and the roads are FULL
of jitneys going in and out from
camp.
Quite a surprise for us when we
come to camp to see hundreds OF TEL
lows ahead of us, all waiting to be
checked in, and issued cots, blankets
and mess kits. This was the first you
got after many hours of waiting In
the hot sun. We were a hungry lot
to feed and the "army chow" went
good, altho not as good then as It IL
now.
All our eating was done out OF
mess kits, out on the ground. Some
days it was simply awful to sit out In
that scorching sun and eat, especially
when those Texas sand stroms come
by, which were quite frequent.
/ was assigned to Line 108 and Ou1
company has a mighty fine Lieutenant
and treated us boys fine.
Army life started right then and
there, and we stood ReVeille at $3.50
It took us most week to get ou1
clothes issued and thru all the exams
It was rather tough at first to be with
out the uniforms. The older soldiers
kept kidding us all the time. Every
thing seemed to be- line up. "Lool
at the ears on 'em, and you will gel
your pick tomorrow" and things like
that were always handed to Rookie
We done the same thing few day.
afterwards. Don't worry we got oul
"pick and shovel" I have not men
toned yet how 1 did stretch my necl
looking for my first acceptance. Onl!
a few happened to be out on Sunda,
but Mondays sky was just full %
them. could count 30 ships up the
at one time, besides formation ships