Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-06-05
Sends Very Interesting Letter TO
Friend Here About Activities
at the Front
TRENCH RATS
ARE BIG FELLOWS
Bugs Also Plentiful, But Says You
Can See the Rats, But The Bugs
are Scrappers.
Somewhere in France
May. s, 1918.

Will write a few lines and let
you know I am o. X. hoping you
and all are the same. This is Sum
day night and 1t has been raining
all day, and by the looks is going
to keep 1t up all night. I was think
ing Of the boys In the trenches, as
! know how It is. Believe me the
nights are long and cold and dark
and the trenches full of mud. But
such is life at the front. and all we
think Of is when that big day will
come. the day that we can start
back home, and the harder we have
1t. the brighter this day will be.
Its when man gets up to the front
and in the trenches that he can re-
member the good things at home.
You remember the old. saying There
is no Place Like Home. Believe
me when at the front q man never
knows how long he is going to have
q home, for they" might come
over and take it from us. We sure
have some home when we are Ct
the front. It Is . dugout full of
mud and 90 dark that when you get
out man can't see daylight. But
believe me we think the dugouts are
alright. for when the Boches start
shelling, that Is where we stay and
and "a sure Z nns piafe TO hss ha. !,
IA. There are some men that stay
in dugouts all the time. They never
go out to fight. They sure do some,
patroling. Can you think what
kind of soldiers they are? I am
going to tell you. They are not
soldiers they are big rats and bugs.
Say believe me. they sure have
time at night you can see rats that
are just as big as Boche. But
the bugs one can find and see most
any old time, and when we are not
fighting the Boches we are fighting
the bugs, so you can see we sure do
some fighting. But az say. we are
all looking for that big bright day
soon to come when the lighting will
be all over. But still and all we
do not look for this day until the
Boches will come to time. and IL
they stay at 1t long they sure will
get 1t, for we are getting things
ready for big time, 50 It is Just a
matter Of time with us, and when
we start they will have time stop
ping us. We are all hoping we can
60 over the top and get some Of
hem. and stay and hold all we take.
We don't believe In going over and
then come back. cannot think Of
much more to write and all I can
write Is war. for that's all we see,
think and talk. Well I suppose De-
corah is just the same old place, and
q good place to be. ! sure would
like to be there tonight. / sure
know where would be, as you
know where, my Sunday evenings
were spent. do you not? Well its
getting dark and its sure a hard
thing to find . good place to write,
as the light d mot much good, and
we cannot have much light. for
they might get to see where we are
staying. We sure have a fine place.
but sometimes they don't last long.
We are staying in big woods where
the Boches stayed at the first Of the
war. Well I must close for this
time. hoping you are all in good
health. You must give my regards
to all the L. p. H. and all the folks,
30 its goodbye and goodnight.
With kindest regards,
LAWRENCE RIGGS,
e. Co. 16S U. s. Inr.
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