The Kendrick gazette., 1918-02-15
Letter From Texas

The following paragraphs were
taken from letter written by Ward
Riggle; who is stationed at South
San Antonio. Texas:
"The Red Cross here gives sweat
er. helmet and wristlets to everyone
in an outgoing squadron. We
each got our sweater but they were
out of the rest. Good, home-knit-'
ted, wool socks are needed the most.
as the rest of the body is sufficient
ly clothed with army stuff.
Well, for a little talk on the
beautiful Texas weather! The last
time l wrote you it was about 80
degrees in the shade in the after
noon. At $50 l was about half a
mile from my tent when they began
to call lookout! here comes
Texas" We could see big bank
of dust off in the distance. We
started for home but only got about
100 yards when it hit us and you
couldn't see your hand in front Of
you. The wind would almost blow
one off the road. | got lost in the
flying field and for a while didn't
know where / was until ran into
land mark that | knew and from
there l managed to get back into
the tent camp. By feeling along
each tent for about quarter of
mile got to my own tent, where l
found one of the ten men who be-
longed there. He had all the cots
and ten extra iron beds piled on the
edge of the tent to hold it down.
We got into bed and covered up
our heads to keep out the dust. 1t
then began to turn cold and in
about half an hour began to rain
and sleet. Five more men got back
to the tent during the night. We
woke up in the morning with piles
of snow two feet deep in and around
the tent.
They picked up about thirty of
the fellows that night with the am
bulance and in the morning we
found one boy frozen to death and
another with his head split open
from falling in ditch.
1t stayed cold for two days and
yet they say that Texas has mild
winter climate. 1t has been nice
and warm since that time until to-
day. 1t is cooler and looks like
rain. 1t hasn't rained since last
!. spring and the dust, pure alkali,
not sand, is bad. That's enough Of
the weather-it could be worse.
f Our captain has had considerable
p experience and is jolly but strict
: and is we'll educated.
= The tents are fifteen feet square
# with three-foot wall and an eight
e foot slope. We did have ten men
IS sleeping in each tent but they got
j. orders from Washington for only
five to tent and all tents have
board floors.
a. The cooking is done out in the
open on a sheet steel range over a
hole in the ground for a firebox,
4 Each cook tent supplies 800 men.
We have one big league baseball
70 pitcher, three professional boxers,
a one an ex-world champion who
10 gives us boxing lessons. The lieu
a. tenant said he was going to make g
IN fighting squadron out of US. He
n said if we had any difficulty in get
,v ting along we should not get mac
G. but should go out and settle it witt
&c our good American fists. There il
plenty of humor and good times
here if a person has lived so he car
stand the rough side Of it.
,r have been assigned to the S09tE
Aero Squadron which is repair
ay squadron. There are four kinds:-
y, construction, repair, supply AM
IN service or flying. | am the black
tn smith for this squadron and will
St take two weeks of technical anl
:. practical work. We may go righ
he across when we have finished ou