The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-10-16
GRIM WRITER'S
OF WORLD HISTORY
WRITE LETTERS HOME
LETTERS COME FROM ACROSS
THE SEA WHERE LOCAL BOYS
ARE AFTER THE HUN

lA are walking the the
French village or some American
camp in France or in this country or
with fixed bayonet putting some Of
the enemy out of commission. Yes,
brave men are the writers Of these
letters and the great history which
they are writing is of the most i'm
portant that the annals Of world his
tory will ever contain.
"Bill' Rusher, formerly head clerk
in the Fristce & Divine store, but
now a lieutenant in the United States
army writes the following letter to
Vern c. Divine:
Sept. Z, 1918.
Dear Vern:
This letter might we'll be entitled
THANK God for the Military Band"
and "other. music" for it's about that
I shall write.
/ wish you could have been with
me little while ago Vern but since
you weren't. I'll try to express the
thougst want you to get, as best l
can.
We had little concert this evening
cut in small pine grove just hun
dred yards or so from our barracks.
In the center of the grove we had
built up a platform and lighted it
with electric lights. We had been
using the grove to hold our gun drill
in and our cannon were scattered all
about-grim evidence Of the war that
is so near to all Of us.
1t was very pleasant evening and
everyone had turned out to enjoy the
fun. And there on that old wooden
platform with row after row of
khaki clad men for an audience one
after another they came. Men who
no doubt have called forth long APP
plause in crowded opera houses, for
no pay or reward of any kind, sang
their songs and told their stories for
the mere pleasure Of making their
comrades happy. And intermingled
with their songs were selections by
our military band.
The lights threw their glow but a
short distance but the stars were
shining brightly and it was a very
pretty scene. Sometimes there'd be
a love song or a song of home and
everything would be very still and it
took but little Imagination to follow
the thoughts of every fellow there to
someone or something he loved across
the sea.
The fellow from Texas thinking
of running cattle out en- the prairie
with his eyes full of sand and the
smell of hot horse flesh in his nostrils.
The little "use to be" alley rat from
the west side Of New York city
- i L..
who'd said "I1l be waitin' kid when
you come back again" Or the fell
y low of 80 or there abouts sitting back
near the edge of the crowd perhaps
longing for his wife and little baby
on their" farm out in Iowa. Each
one thinking of his own little world
and none caring who knew of what
he thought.
But there was no sadness there.
When the band played rag time you'd
hear the yelling all over campbell
lows out in the edge of the grove who
were sleeping in pup tents, others in
the barracks all over camp who for
I some reason hadn't attended the con-
certAthe yelling of the healthy fell
low who's glad just to be alive.
n And I'm glad that can be here in
it all, Vern, I'll never stop being glad
that I'm with the rest for they are
the best men in the world today, men
who love their country and are deter
mined to make it safe place to live
in.
j Little incidents like that. of this
evening produce but S4moods of the
moment" of course, and may mean but
little to~you, bat it's just such little
things that. give us all the courage
to carry on" and do things in a big
way.
/ only wish that could make you
feel the spirit" of such gathering as
have felt it this evening but real
ize of course that that is impossible.
But it's well worth while.
/ am "officer of the day." COM
mander Of the guard in other words,
tonight, and will have to get up in
the middle of the night and make the
rounds to see that everything is o. k.
so I'd better turn in now. 1t will
be shame Vern, if don't get back
some day to tell you of all the things
I've seen and experienced over here.
But if don't some one else can.
Best regards to ALL Sincerely
yours,
1t. Evan s. Rusher,
343 F. A., A. p. o. 77S, A. f. f.
Jay McNitt, son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Fred McNitt. is the writer of the
second letter and Jay is now in
France with the rest of the boys who
are going to clean up this thing be-
fore they come home. Jays letter
follows:
Sept. 6, 1913.
Dear Mother and Father.
As this is Sunday and / have lit
tie time to write, will let you know l
am fine and dandy, am very busy all
the time / have to write is Sunday.
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