The courier-index., 1918-12-27
FROM JESSE G. WILLIS
 Thanksgiving Day, 1918

while ago 1 received the Bulletin of November 3, the first one I have had for more than month. Yes, l do suppose it is time I am writing you another letter, and now 1 can tell you a little more than before without going beyond the bounds of censor shipship. It is just as Samuel wrote in his letter, there has been great deal of interest which we might have written before, but you would never have received it. So I have held back a good share to tell when l get back, for I have always felt as though I was coming back, and now I know that I will, and don't know that I have cause to think that it will be long now.
 When I landed at Brest, France. a large seaport, August IS, I was great ly surprised at the marked difference in the various sights that greeted me there; from what I had been seeing back in the states. We had to stay on board the first evening and night, but from the wharf we could see a great deal. Most of the people in sight were either white or negro American soldiers, who were loading war supplies, etc, on French rail way cars. Soon we heard little whistle such as I have seen on pea nut roasters at home. When 1 looked in the direction of the noise, down 6 nnly ntn train. It reminded me of Christmas time when I was a small boy and I would wake up to find train in my stocking. Their street cars and automobiles conveyed about the same impression. Many of the people I saw walking around there had on big wooden shoes. The next morning we hiked out to the edge of the city and pitched our pup" tents in wheat field and prepared for a few days stay in rest camps. I didn't know anything about an A. E. F. rest camp then, but I learned quite bit during the next four days. The only way have been able to figure why the word rest belongs to it is because it is there they get the rest of a fellows vitality. We were called up on at all hours of a day or night for details to various kinds of work around the ship yards. handling all kinds of freight. It was while on our way back to camp from working on one of these details that I got my first taste of French wine. Our lieu tenant had been drinking enough to feel pretty lively, friendly and free hearted, so he brought several quarts of sour grape wine and passed 1t around. I didn't like it, so that is the last r have tasted of that kind, though I have, merely for curiosity, tasted their sweet wines, beer and cognac, but one more taste of each was enough for me, and since then I have not touched anything stronger than coffee and hot chocolate. But back to the rest camp before I en- tirely leave the subject. The follow ing day a small detail of our men were put to work helping some French soldiers store cases of can- ned goods in a warehouse where hun dreds of barrels of wine were laying on their sides with their bung holes open for the wine to ripen or ferment I suppose. Our boys were not in the best sort of humor over the amount of work they had been called upon to do. so they soon invented nice scheme of getting some of that wine which a Frenchman would not have thought of in ten years. They got some wheat straws and took turns about sucking their fill of wine, while mart of the crew were on guard to prevent their being surprised by an officer; the more they drank the bolder they grew, until finally the corporal in charge, an old fireman on the Frisco, told the men that he would whip the man that didn't get drunk and carry a canteen back to camp full of the wine that night Fortunately for the whole outfit a good natured naval officer got wise to what they were doing and sent them to work at another place, prob ably saving all of them from going to the brig Among the boys thai was afterward spoken of as the wine detail. The next day, August "A we entrained in French box cars, 4t men to the car, and started on oui two days trip of about 250 miles eastward to a village in the vicinity of Bourges, very nice city in cen tral France. That night we slept 1T our pup tents for the last time. Nexi morning we hiked about ten miles tC the little twin village of Chery-Sury where our company was initiated tC life in French billets (hay barns COW barns, horse stalls, etc.). Int
 first few rays there we came yery near having to live on French seen cry, air and spring water, owing tC the mistake of someone in routing
 our supplies, but that was only for ;
 few days, and then everything wen on nicely until September 29, wheI