Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-12-31
OUR BOYS
OUR COUhTRY'S SERVICE


Following letter from Clyde t.
Chase. a Farmingdale boy, son Of Mr..
and Mrs. c. E. Chase, wagner in
Company A-2nd Corps Artillery, A.
L. T.
On Active Service with the .Ameri-
can Expeditionary Force.
Nov. "A, 1918.
GueSnes. France.
Dear Mother and Father:
/ suppose you are anxiously waiting
for US TO get back to the l.. 8. and We
VIC have no idea when we are going
to sail. l don't think we will be here
such an awful while longer, as we
have seen considerable action since
we got over here. We have been on
four fronts and we're at the front when
the first American army made the
great drive, near Metz and saw the
first American tanks so into action
on this front; and we were at Cha
teauThierry where I think that
Freddie McMaster lost his life; and
saw considerable action there. l was
under shell fire number of times on
this front. The fellow with me and
l had two shells strike close enough
to US to throw dirt onto us: We were
near the Argonne Forest when the
war ended and VIC certainly got all
that was coming 10 US over here. but
we have been very lucky as we have
not lost Il man in action from our
company and we have been close
enough to the trenches to hear the
machine guns cracking. l think we
have done as much, If not more than
any ammunition train over here. and
l think that may make some differ
ence about our coming home.
Do not worry about me as I am
feeling fine and we have good quar-
ters to sleep in and a stove to keep
us warm. Do not worry about my
sweater as I am very glad that you
did not send il as I do not think I
shall want it and it would only be in
the way. was glad to hear that you
had received my picture and postcard
all right. ] hear that the influenza is
very serious about town and l want
you and Pa to be careful and not
catch it as they say that it is very
dangerous. l am enclosing in this
letter a clipping from the Stars and
| Stripes, a newspaper published for
American soldiers and after you read
! 1t you will see that We celebrated just
| q little over here. ] see by the papers
| that there was quite a time in New
York when the news reached the
states, that the Germans had given
| in. l read in the paper of little in
cident in a hospital in England which
was full of Allied soldiers on one side
and on the other side vas a number of
wounded Germans. When the good
news came the wounded Allies start
| ed 4 barrage of shoes and pillow tops
and in fact everything they could get
their hands on, and in the midst of it
| an American captain crawled from
| his cot and hollered give the Ger
mans IL.
| Well Mother, this is all for this
| time.
| With love from your son,
Wagner CLYDE T.. CHASE.
Co. A. Ind Corps Artillery rark
American T. +. via New York.
Corporal Oliver D. Letendre. Com
parry N, l03rd Infantry. was reported
| missing in action on October 20, word
| having been received in Augusta by
his sister. Mrs. Eva Arbour. The fol-
lowing letter under the date Of No.
vember 10 throws some light upon
the conditions as there appeared to
be some misunderstanding in regard
| to Corporal Letcndre's wherea bouts.
! AS he writes the following letter the
relief OF his relatives was with foun-
| dation. Previous to being reported
as missing in action and TO being
wounded as he states in his letter. he
was wounded and went into the hos
pital in July. He left the hospital the
| latter part of August and was wound
| ed again in October.
| November 10. 1918
Dear Sister: ] suppose you have
been notified by this time of my be
ing wounded. l have written you a
letter already telling YOU about it and
! !
me because I'm all right. ] only re-
greet that cannot be with my regi
ment on the banks of the Rhine in
Germany. My wound is healing fast
and | think I'll be able 20 walk in a
couple Of weeks. If I'm still here
then I'll go down and see Paris. 1t is
! just q short walk from here. Believe
me, they had some celebration here
last week. There's some talk of
sending the wounded back to the L.
| S. soon, but although Id like awful
we'll to get back you know, / wish I
could go with my regiment and I'll do
that if can. Believe nae, I'll let you
know right away where l am as
quickly as 1 am in the States. Be
prepared to make some pine apple
! pie. my mouth waters when I think
of EN-. Ha. Ha. ! guess that's all
for now.
! Your loving brother as ever.
! OLIVER.
i M. and Mrs James Smith Of Win