Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-05-01
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM CAMP Pike
Helmer Peterson Satire Soldier Boy
Writes His Friend Herbert Gross
Newsy Letter.
THE COUNTRY THERE
CAN'T COMPARE WITH IOWA.
People at Little Rock Take Great
Interest In the Soldiers and
Treat Them Fine.
Co. E. 346th Inf.
Camp Pike, Ark.
April Z, 1918.

/ was good this morning and went
to church services. Services are
over now, so | guess I'll get busy
and write you few lines before
feed my face. Gee, l guess its
about time | was writing isn't 1t?
/ believe / am even slower about
writing than you are. Well / didn't
intend to put it off as long as this,
but I've been rather busy of late
so I've gotten way behind with my
correspondence. Now don't you
do the same thing, but get busy at
once and write me good long let
ter and | will swear 1 will answer
it right away. Say you sure are
some poet. That sure was some
layout you handed me. Well hope
can make few home-run hits
when l get over there. At present
am going to sniping school, so
it may be that they will let me play
short stop.ha! hal. If they do I'll
think of that little piece of poetry
some night when my turn comes to
bat out on mo mans land and I'll
just make up my mind to put my
signature on the first one that comes
ONCI tHc pldIC. CHiplh6 oCiiOOi 10
very interesting, but keeps a fellow
busy. Mostly patroling, map sketch
ing, guiding, reporting and snipe
shooting Twelve of the boys from
each company who qualified for
record shooting are put through
this course in sniping. We go to
the range every Tuesday for target
practice. We also go out for patrol
duty, / mean practice in patroling,
at midnight. That's interesting work
too, especially when it is real dark
and you are cropping around to find
a place to put down your hand with
out making the slightest noise and
place your hand gently on top of
one of those beautiful lizards that
are so plentiful down in this God
forsaken country.
Well Arkansas may be good
state. / came into it at night so
all / have seen of it is Camp Pike
and very little of the surrounding
country and l am not going to judge
the state from what little / have
seen of it, but the territory where
this camp is located sure does not
look good to me. The other day
we were given a map and told to
go out on a hike and to follow a
certain route specified on the map.
l. took us over about eight miles
of ground where we had never been
before and in all that hike | didn't
see but three houses that people
up north would ever think of living
in The rest were all old shacKs
that Nrn fhnnoh@ Whnn uipwinn thpno
from distance, no one would ever
think of living in, but in most cases
we found when we got to them peo-
pie living in them and by heck they
all seemed to be as happy as kitten
playing with ball of yarn too, and
that's the main thing in life. One
thing l am surprised at is the in
terest taken in the soldiers by the
people of Little Rock. There is
hardly an evening that there is not
someone coming out to camp to put
on a program of some sort for US,
and they are all eager to come back
again to help entertain us and be-
lieve me we sure appreciate it.
Whenever We go to town we are al
ways welcomed and treated in the
bCoI Woy ~ SNOiy OhO' liz PSoPi>
of Des Moines were very good in
that way too, but l must admit
that in my opinion Little Rock is
going them one better.
Last Thursday our Brigade took
a hike, camping out over night and
returning the next day. We camped
near Fort Root just outside of Lit
tie Rock. Say that is certainly
some beautiful place. 1t is situa-
ted on top of high hill overlooking
the city of Little Rock and the Ar
kansas river. We enjoyed the hike
very much except that this rock
covered ground does not make the
softest bed, so we had to turn over
ever so often to take the kinks out
| Well it won't take long to get
used to that, l guess, when man is
tired he can sleep most any place
but that Is just where the trouble
comes in. From what little ex'
perience l have had in the army
find that its mighty unhealthy a
certain times to sleep even If you
have nice coy place. 1t started
to rain about midnight so l woke up
and pulled in my pedals but thu
rain didn't amount to very much
We sure have had a lot of rair
these last few days. Friday 1t rain
ed nearly all afternoon. We were
to have had Divisional parade II
honor of Vice President Marshall
who was to have been here but i
was called off on account of thu
bad weather. 1t started to rail-
again about ten o'clock II
the evening and rained hard AM
steady till yesterday morning. Wei
its IL o'clock and as We have din
ner between IL and 1880 l bette
quit my scribbling for this time
We are going to have good Dime
with lemonade and ice cream, 81
of course / don't want to lose on
on it. Best regards to you all
write soon.
81