The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-10-24
FORMER CITIZEN
WITH !. N. CA.
LETTER TO FRIEND FROM JACK
WILSON TELLS OF WORK HE
IS DOING
SHORT LETTER FROM BOY N FRANCE
Work OF Fitting Men for the Duties
Overseas are Progressing With
Splendid Success

ThrOugh the or a friend
to whom Jack Wilson has written a
long letter of his Y. M. G.. A. work at
Fort OglethOrp. we are privileged to
give some very interesting extracts.
Jack writes that he is engaged in
m~inistering to the needs of the boys
both physical and spiritual, and to do
the latter he found that he would
have to identify himself by PERSONA
belief with the work, and he is glad
to say that he has done so. We give
the following excerpts from the letter.
II am just as busy as / can be and
happier than l rel was in my life
before. Enjoy this work Immensely
and best Of all know and feel that l
have already done some good. Men
come to me that don't go near the
others and already l know more men
in camp than many Of the Y. men who
have been here for a year. The men
come to men of my age with all sorts
Of difficulties, religious, domestic and
every other kind, and it Is splendid to
OO oDiS w hOip. Niicoh 10 "
by and when get Wednesday off we
have a glorious time. l am ready for
the rest, though I thought it was a
joke when they said it was a rule that
we must take a days rest, but l find
that need it. / put in twice as much
time as any of the others in my camp,
the southern men don't know what a
days work is. l get up at 6 a. m, or
earlier and get to bed any time be-
tween IL and II. | am the business
secretary and l guess also maid of
all work. My time off l spend mostly
in the hospital with the sick and
wounded. or down among the 18th
Cavalry to whom we are attached,
our building Is in their barracks. The
hospital work is very great work but
very trying. Many are so Respondent
and discouraged, that | come back
tired. but always glad that l went. You
ought to see their faces light up when
you get into a ward and the trouble
with me is that if l speak to one, /
have to speak to all the rest, SO | just
go from ward to ward and from bed to
them all. The other day the regular
man was gone and as the patients
were out of stamps, etc, | went with
a grip full of stationery, ETC., to sup
ply them. There is a ward there with
returned soldiers from France, shell
shocked or gassed. One Of them out
of his mind grabbed me and tried to
throw me TOO heavy, to big to go
over the top" he said. / let him maui
me around. lit him a cigarette and
pacinet him, then he put his arm
around me and walked with me all
around the ward. He must have shak-
en- hands with me twenty times and
the nurses had a hard time to get him
back, when l left. Yesterday was up
at the Red Cross and he was wander
ing around there, he seems to be bet
ter as he knew me at once, shook
hands and followed me from group to
group like a dog. meet men from all
over the U. S. They get splendid food
here, but mostly vegetables and l de-
test them. Some of the Y. men go to
the officers mess, but l eat right with
the men, the aso is that you get
next to the men better. The last two
Wednesdays Mrs. Wilson and l and
two Y. workers spent on the top of
Signal Mountain where there is a fine
hotel. We enjoyed the change and
spent most of the time resting. Mrs.
Wilson is at Chattanooga, about ten
miles from here, the a line passes
my building and her room, making
it very pleasant and convenient as
she droops out here and helps with
the music. Glad to know that South
Dakota is emf lying such prosperity.
Best regards, and remember that the
soldiers are not the only men in
camp who need and enjoy CHEEKY let
tiers.
Yours as ever,
Jack Wilson,
CamD 90 Fort OplathOrn Ca