The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-01-04
LETTERS FROM THE
BOYS IN ARMY CAMP
From Thursdays Daily.

Just few lines to let you know that
l think of you every day and hope you
are all well and trying to enjoy such
as it is. AS my pal says, "Its great
life if it don't weaken. Well this is
Sunday morning and / am in the big
navy Y. M. c. A. in the city of Norfolk.
Got in here about one o'clock. Left
our ship on the St. Johns just after
breakfast. That is sort of passenger
boat useA for that purpose to bring
the lads il kicker, a boat with a
gasoline engine in it that carried from
SO to 100 men. The lads from the other
ships do the same and then we are
all put on the st. Johns together.
There sure is bunch of them in this
city. You can hardly get along the
streets and they are nearly all sailors.
About all we can do here is run around
on the streets and it is pretty chilly
and little snow on the ground. That
is, it seems chilly to me after being
| inside most of the time. We are with
a part of the Atlantic fleet and just
steaming up and down the coast.
! Boston is the home port of the
Nebraska and / think they plan on
being there for Christmas but no one
knows They have taken up collection
from the boys and are going to give
| the Boston school kids the freedom
of the ship. If we are in there and if
! not send it to them someway. This is
the only time have been on side
walk since I left to go on the ship.
The football grounds ! spoke of before
! is at Gloucester Point just across the
bay from the monument at Yorktown,
where CORVALLIS surrendered to
Washington in the great war. / have
seen that from the ship but have not
] been over there.
| The pictures we had made in hurry
last night, just to see how we did look.
l don't think they are SO bad con-
sidering that we got ready to come
in such hurry and just got our
clothes on and not Strengthened out
/ You can imagine (maybe not thought
pulling everything out of a bag putting
the jumper on wrong side out as it is
folded and rolled Getting the spreadeI
in the hat did not get my hair cOmbed
pulled out my coat and gloves un-
rolled them, grabbed the neckerchie1
and away we went. haven't any
ratings on my jumper yet, but rate
a red tape around the left sleeve on
the seam where the sleeve is set in
and two of white on the cuffs. The
red is for all of the engineer force
The two of white for second class
I enlisted as third class SO only rated
one white on the cuff and / did not
have that put on, as it looked oul
of place. The picture of two of us
myself and my pal that is with me
He and I ran around some together
at Charlestown and / was sent to the
Missouri and he went to the Ohio
Then after l got on the Nebraska ane
been there three weeks he was
transferred over there so you see nc
one knows who or what we may run
across. l don't think there is so much
chance of us going across the POND
unless we are transferred unto some
transport to take men or supplies ovel
there.
We are on the battle wagons we cal
them with lots of big guns on. They
sure talk. We got out on the water
once in a while and shoot at targets
The deck hands and marines do that
Believe me, am glad I am not decl
hand or marine. They never know
where or what they have to do. There
are sixty marines on the Nebraska
mostly from Minnesota. Minneapoli;
and ST. Paul / think. All nice lads
There are no marines on the Missouri
Guess there are about 1000 sailors OF
, the Nebraska, am not sure. The!
r sure get along fine-no scraps as
thought they might have. On tn
{ Missouri the deck hands had no tim'
for the "black gang" as we are called
: We sure do look it some times whel
| we come up. l wear pair OF overall
) and an old white jumper / spoile'
: while on the Missouri because coul'
not get one of the overall kind. The.
: are made like the white and blue onl.
have not such a large collar and wea
the shoes you sent and no underwea
f almost have to take bath and chang
2 clothes everytime we get on. Suppos
e | have some mail over on the shi
}. now have not had any for about tw
:. weeks. Write all the news when yo
J, can. will try to write once in while
e Yours only, w. e. Musser. U. s.
0 Nebraska, New York, N. Y. Enginee
Force.
{ Mr.. and Mrs. Grover Cleveland an
lEr.C LIors