Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1918-05-24
SOLDIERS PITY
THE SLACKERS
Some Places Are Worse Than
The Trenches
Private MAley Of Fair Haven
Writes The Following Letter
10 His Parents

Since last writing you we nave maze
our first visit 10 the trenches and It Is
sure some wonderful game
am so used to lodging shells that
when | get back to the good old L, >,
| A, | am going to black myself up and
apply for a job as baseball dodger at
the fair
The Boche gave us some fine eXhi-
billions Of Fourth Of July fire works and
some fine exhibitions Of his work with
airplanes and gave us our first acquain-
! tance with gas but YOU can bet your
| lie while he was doing this we were not
sleeping but were giving him back as
good as he sent,
Our regiment made a fine showing
while up there and there was not a
company in the trenches that had any
| thing on Co, II,
Three OF our fellows were decorated
for bravery in action and some OF the
Others are to get the decoration, So we
Ireally have something to be proud OF,
don't you think;
Now Just because | have been in the
trenches | don't want you TO worry as
| suppose you think they are awful
places what with shells, gas, airplanes,
etc,
There are a whole lot Of places worse
than the trenches and one Of them is
back home where they are walking the
streets in civilian clothes who should be
doing some active service
While there is not fellow over here
but what would like to be back home
enjoying himself there are but few over
here who would care to change places
with a Stacker
| have heard that some OF the boys
are feeling real bad because they had
to go to war but when you see them
feeling that way tell them from me that
they are foolish to worry for It will
probably be six months at least before
they are here and we expect to have
the Job finished by that time, OF course
il they must really worry tell them to
wait until some night when they are
out in No Mans Land, Stringing barbed
wire or digging a trench and the Boche
decides to send over few shells or a
little gas.
The trenches are nothing like one
imagnes them to be before seeing them
and il YOU only know enough to keep
YOUR head down and keep a gas mask
handy you are all right The only Kick
have coming is the mud and that is
something fierce, At times we are in
up to our waists.
Our only worry here is about the
| folks at home as we know you all do a
lot OF unnecessary worrying about us.
Every time something goes wrong here,
that makes you feel blue some one of
the fellows will start singing Pack Up
Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag
or something else of that kind and then
everyone will laugh and forget their
troubles,
certainly have very different opin-
ion of the places than when | landed
here. The people here are fine people
and the French soldiers are a fine lot OF
fellows and after four years OF war |
have not met one of them who is not III
the best of spirits, well-ied and cared
for and when the American army comes
ND to the French army they will have
something to be proud of and don't you
forget it.
We have some great laughs when we
get back to our dugout over some OF
the stunts the boys do when the shells
are coming over for they sure are funny
and some of the stunts | have seen
have Charlie Chaplin beat more EN- a
mile. For instance a fellow was driv-
ing a supply wagon along the road the
other day when shell took off one of
the wheels. The driver grabbed his gun,
jumped down and started to look Tor
the Boche who fired the shell. or
course we had a big laugh on him for
the shell had come all of two miles.
When he saw us laughing, the folly of
the act appealed to him, a broad grin
spread over his face and he went look
ing for another wheel for his wagon.
With love to all, from your loving
son,
Francis w. Maley,
Co. II, lO2nd U. s. Inf, A. Z. F.