Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-07-03
THEY ARE WELCOMED IN THE FIGHT
ING ZONE

IBy Captain c. f. Buffers Headquarters s2nd
DIVISION Quartermaster, Am. Ex. F., A. P. o.
1874, May 21.l
Dear Williamses: Since writing you last
we nave made big move and in
nearing OF the guns and in the area of doing
things, although in what is termed a quiet
sector. We have been here for over a week
And when first landed after we had been
here maybe an hour saw an air battle
between anti-air machines, and aeroplanes
and things were popping pretty fast up in
the air almost US, ard one of my SER
geants remarked: Il thought you said this
was quiet sector; l can't see it that way"
But he has, like everybody else gotten so
used to it in a short week that he don't
even leave the warehouse where we issue
ratlOns to see the bOnmbs bursting around
some Boche plane in the air. We had good
view of Boche plane attack one of the
French observation balloons. set it on FIRE.
the lwo Frenchmen jump with para
chutes and land safely, and yet the bombs
could not get the plane.
Where We are now is much different than
back OF the lines where Here the
cities are more like American. Every house
has front yard and the roads are reasonably
wide and they are all the Swiss chateau
style. Gee but l would like to tell you lust
where we are. | know you would be sur
prised- Enough TO guess maybe when l tell
you that there mountains around u.s. and
quite high ones, at that. made the trip
here in automobile about 100 miles, a little
more, and 1t was most wonderful trip. This
part OF France is not rainy as where we
and the soil seems much better The
farmers work the land right up to the trenches
and in and out among to wire entanglements.
They don't seem to take the war seriously at
all but go about their business like every
thing was peaceful
The day before yesterday / received big
bunch OF letters, seven from Fannie. She is
now in Cincinnati and | guess does not find
1t so hot as it down in Texas. She is
like me-she does not like Texas. If / didn't
like the United States much, would think
that France was the finest land ever. l like
it, it's people, its eats, its customs, it's
churches, it's wonderful scenery, and all of it.
1t seems that every place go has some new
and added beauty or some curious custom
built a house a hundred different ways. And
talk about beautiful sterams of water! Here
they have them and it is warm enough where
we are 70 go in swimming, which l have
been DOING almost every evening. / live in
a very pleasant home. Have a big room,
still with feather beds The lady of the
German language. She simply lived under
the German government before the war, and
that alone made her German. Before the 1870
she French. Now maybe you can
figure this all out and know practically where
we are, especially when l tell you that there
is some German territory that has been cap
tured and is held. by the French. They
tell that the other day when fellows first
went in the trenches that the Boche put up a
big sign, Welcome 80 Division" What they
don't know about is hardly worth knowing,
and yet pens and tongues tied.
Well | am etill at the same jOb-feeding
the multitude. It's a steady job, every day,
and all day, sunday as wen as all other days.
We hear very little news from the real fight
ing front, but imagine there is not much
doing. 1t may be the lull before the storm,
it may be that everybody is tired of this
scrap. Some day il will end and a whole lot
of US coming back, and l hope worse
off for this little iaunt. There big
guns, they say 100 millimeters in size, boom
ing away just now, but the fellows don't even
seem to hear them, but keep right on writing
or issuing grub. There is big battery near
utit don't mean business, as are
little too far away for them to do any
damage, and then they say that as these
people here are all related to those people
over there. and were married and intermar-
fied and friends and neighbors TO them,
that they will not shell each others towns, and
/ guess it Is so, the casualties in the last
year down here have been almost nil.
Well, folks, I suppose yOu all busy
happy thought of the golden wedding in mind.
My best regards TO you in this happy period
of your lives.