Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1918-11-09
Y.M.c.A. SHORT OF PAPER
ON ACTIVE SERVICE
with the
AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY
FORCE
Dear Mother and family:


Dear Mother and family:
suppose you think | have forgot
ten you but | have been in battle and
we sure had some exciting experience.
| never thought / would be myself
when | once was under gunfire but |
was, never got excited as | didn't have
time.
We came over the top the morning
of the 10Th of September and believe
me it was sure the top, the high ex-
plosives were bursting all around me
and one hit bank OF dirt that | had
just dropped behind and | sure tho't
| was gone. felt paralyzed for "a
bout a minute after, and then | raised
about four inches of the bank LETT
between me and the hole which the
shell made where before it hit there
was four feet of bank. 1t killed one OF
my comrades and wounded three 9TH
ers.
We sure made those Huns travel,
believe me they would sit i'll hole
with a machine gun and fire on us
until we would get within thirty or
forty feet OF them; then they would
jump up and throw their hands over
their heads and jump around and hol-
Ter "comrade" or kneel to their knees
and grip their hands and beg us not
to shootstbem.
We fought on the front between
Verdun and Rheims and captured the
town OF Virzy and several small towns
and almost to the large mountain call
ed Mount Faucon. We were on the
battle held Tor eight days.
When we were in Camp Lewis the
officers would drill us on dropping to
the ground getting up quick and run
ming a little way and dropping again,
but believe me. we didn't nees anyonc
10 tell us that ON the field. Any time
we got up 10 run we went in hurry
and dropped Gown quick and | think
| would fiatten out thinner than pan
cake when those shells flew over me.
The night we got back from the
front Leslie came over and slept with
me and | sure was glad to see him
get through all O. X. We can sit and
tell of our narrow escapes and feel
pretty lucky that we got through with
out being crippled or killed.
Leslie just came over again so
will let him write what | can't think
OF and you can let his folks read this
letter as we are very short Of paper.
We'll | guess Jimmie has told you
about everything. As he says, we
sure had some narrow escapes; no one
knows what it is like but the man who
has gone through it. Believe me,
was sure glad the other night when |
accidentally blundered on to Jim and
found out that he was all O. X. We
rolled up in our blankets together and
slept under tree although we were
not so far away but that we could hear
the noise and roar of the battle field,
we slept like two logs. We won't
need any bed when we get home, just
q PidSS III al SOillST. remember IN
one OF Bertha's letters OF her saying
she had made some things for the
boys i'll France and hoped that no
German got them. She needn't worry
for Fritz will never take anything
from an American soldier We have
got them started for Berlin in the
High and | don't think we will run
out of gas or strip the gears and we
haven't any reverse on our machine
so | figure Berlin by Christmas.
From your loving sons,
Corp. James Grover Butler and
Leslie.
Please write soon and don't be wor-
ried about us as we will make it all
O. X. from now on.
Jimme's speaking about the Huns
saying Kamerad puts me in mind OF
an lrishman taking a prisoner, the
prisoner saying "Kamerad, don't
shoot, | have wife and four child
rem, The Irishman looked at him a
minute and said,"You made a mis-
take, you have widow and four or
phans'
MRS. ESTES TAKEN HOME