Norwich bulletin., 1918-05-11
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS What Eastern Connecticut Boys Are Doing In Various Branches of the Service.
Lieut.. Mecormick's Mothers Day
 Letter.

Lieut. McCormickS MotHeTs Hay
 Letter.
 Tn a letter to his mother. Mrs. D. J. Mccormick. of 16 Perkins avenue dated April q and intended to reach her before Mothers day, May l2, Lieut. John F. Mccormick of the 64Oth aero squadron. with the American expedi- tionary forces, writes as follows:
 Sunday, April 21. 1918. Dear Mother:
 Another Sunday, and still in the same place. I'm becoming so attached | to it that I'm afraid I'll hate to leave
 when the time comes.
 I've been officer of the day for the 1 past four Sundays. Just happens to | come my turn, but I don't much care: | There is nothing to do in town, so 1 might just as well be here. It IS gen. orally pretty quiet around here, except that at night the sentinels seem to think every strange light is Ger man man signal We have to be mighty careful. however, so everything is in vestigated.
 Haven't received much mail this week. It comes in patches. three or | four days at a time, and then prob ably a week with very little mail. I haven't single bit of news. The same old thing day in and day out, with very little excitement to break the monotony.
 This letter ought,to reach you about
 Mothers day. This year that day
 means more to us than it ever has
 before. It takes something like this
 which we are going through to make us realize what wonderful gift of God
 a mother is. When we are with you it becomes a matter of habit-this son. love-but once we are away, so far 1 away that the thought almost fills | one with despair, it's nature changes entirely. It is like finding something new in our lives. And when we think
 of the unseIfishness of our mothers
 love for us, which sees us taken far
 from them, and yet never complains,
 it gives us some idea of the bigness
 of such love.
 So many. many good wishes to you,
 mother O mine, on-Mothers' day. Next year I hope can spend it with you,
 back with the same old love but with
 a finer appreciation of all that it means to me. War, you see, has many
 good points after all. It makes us
 learn to appreciate the things in life which before we accepted simply as a
 matter of course.
 do wish I had something of inter- est to tell you. You know more about the war than I do and, besides, if did know anything, I couldn't very
 well tell you about it. Everybody of
 course is anxious to, have it over with so that we can go back home, but we
 rarely say anything about that. often dream of the day when I'll come sailing back into New York harbor When I see that Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan I tell you I'm going
 to let out a whoop that you can hea1 in Norwich. And when we debark and hit the soil of Gods country my joy , is going to be something to be mar , veled at: often picture our home coming. The parades and the enthu. siasm will be fine, no doubt, but the
 one thing dwell on most is the feeling am going to have when I run up tht
 steps at 16 Perkins avenue and gt ? whooping up the stairs to you. It. going to be worth all this waiting. Tn, i ideal which brought us over here which put me in khaki, keeps us iron
 becoming too lonesome and it shoult
 also keep those at home from worry | ing about us. No matter what hap e pens, we can always feel proud of tn l, fact that everybody has had a share il t making that ideal a concrete reality we OFCE AGIS 1dNS lL1S Ddr
 of it, which makes the little hardship : much easier to bear; you, back home V have none of the glamour, the excite | ment of actual participation, nothin ,. but the stand. prosaic plodding, tn
 burdensome waiting, the depressing
 mental strain-truly the hardest par Of the whole affair. And you, dea mother, are playing your part so weI z that am intensely proud of you Ev s cry letter from home tells me of tn 2 cheerful manner in which you accep your share of the burden and 1t make
 me so happy to feel that I have
 mother who accepts each additiona ' burden with a smile. But we rnustn y consider these things as burdens. . They are privileges in which ever z right thinking person should glory i g being able to have a share. I kno, > that I personally cannot see how
 could do. enough. I long for the tim
 when I can do more, and you will fin l, that true throughout the America r. forces over here. We never think ( e anything happening to us. It migh 7, of course, but after it happens there n nothing to worry about, so why giv h the thing thought? What we war
 to do is end the job, and then all ou
 dreams can come true. We'll see tha J. old Statue of Liberty and it will b