Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-07-17
LETTER FROM CAMP
LEWIS IN FAR WEST
Einar 7. Erickson Remembered
Tribune Editor with Interest
ing Letter."
American Lake, WASHINGTON
ua,4 June ~, 1918.

~A>AAA6C0A,
Editor Tribune: ~'0'
wen, all the Kandiyoh1 County hovs
came up with me except two: " Pur'
ce1l ana Stipp, have been transferred
10 camp kearney, San Diego. Califor.
MA: They left here on June 1Sth T.
Is just as far from Camp Lewis IN
camp kearney as it Is from willnoor
had letters from several of them to.
day so we may be glad to know that
1ney reached their destination safely,
nu' an OF them, who have written to
me say that there is no camp like
camp Lewis. And there surely ia a
reason for 1t. The days here are not
n 10 than moderate temperature
we al wear wooden uniforms but we
uo not need to sweat unless we do
very intense drilling. In the evening
a. ABOUT nine o'clock it commences
10 COO! on so a person can hardly he
OUT without a blouse. The atmos.
phere Is light and very fresh and
1ealtn1ul. Some explain that to he
uue 10 the abundance of evergreens
ana the ne1ghboring mountains,
AS for scenery, it is very hard IN
peat Camp Lewis. Huge eyerqreens
\spruce) are growing all over the
camp except on the drill and narade
grounds: There are no sand or dnst
storms here either only a few whirl.
WINDS once in while.
The 91st Division of which tha
troops at this camp were made IN.
mas now departed for overseas serv.
ICE out new contingents are coming in
daily so the camp is soon overful
again. There are no men from Mime.
sofa coming in this time but from Mon.
Jana and most of the other western
states. They expect to have $4,000
men IN camp after this last draft.
1t IS very doubtful, however, that
tnese men who come in now will bring
such good reputation with them as did
the Minnesota bunch. At the physical
examination there wasn't one who was
found to have brought with them any
contagious disease. Captain Kelly,
the commander of our company. ut.
tered himself that they have not had
such a bunch Of gentlemen before in
the Oath Co. D. B. as they had this
time. And mind you most of them
were from Kandiyohi County. No one
would doubt but that this will make
you folks at home feel as proud as
it did us.
Another thing that we soldier boys
did little appreciate before we came
into camp but which we highly es.
TEEN now and that is the work of the
/ Y. M. c. A. Their buildings are scat
tered all over the camp and every
building is arranged in such a way as
to give comfort and pleasure to the
soldiers. In such building is coy
fireplace, a library, reading room,
checker tables, and large auditorium
in which there is some kind of pro.
gram arranged every night. It may
be a lecture one night, another may
be religious service, and a third
may be moving picture show. All
that contributes to make the life as
homelike and pleasant as possible. l
should like to add to this that is
there ever was any coed cause for
donating money, it is the Y. M. G..
A. activities. It should not be forgot
ten either that the Knights of Colum-
bus is potent factor in making the
soldiers life in training camp as pleas
ant as possible.
We have newspaper here in camp
called the Bugle which I shall send
to you weekly. From that you may
find the news from this camp far more
accurate than 1 could give them.
Thankfully, am,
Einar T. Ericsson.