Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-01-17
Another Letter From the Junior.
San Antonio, Texas.
January g, 1918.

IldllQkClklllSioy
hermits came-by accident, think
The mail here is in terrible condition:
Hundreds and hundreds OF sacks OF
mail are lying stacked up waiting TO DC
worked. while the men sit around try
ing not to be homesick. Some OF them
have not heard from home since they
left, over month ago. | have mad lois
of letters from home.
Today we had a typical sandstorm:
All day long the wind blew down out OF
the north and great clouds of sand and
dust have been swirling and blowing
through the air. The air has been SO
full of the dust that it is difficult 10
breathe, and if you try to look about to
see what is going on you get your eyes
full. If you are out FIVE minutes you
come back looking as though you mao
not washed for a week, which in good
many cases is correct. II is a mlehty
hard proposition to keep clean. have
10 wash six and eight times day ana
still am dirty nearly all the time. But
tnen ! nave lOlS vi SOhhPoAJ'
Yesterday we got orders to prepare
the company to leave for Waco Texas
all of the company, except top SER
peant, sergeant major and supply SER
eeant The orders came about noon.
The mess sergeant was ordered to pre-
mare food for the men while en- route,
and everything was on the move. ABOUT
four o'clock an order came which can
celled our move order and the bunch is
still here, but they are liable to leave at
any time.
We are still working hard here and
the company is coming along in hne
shape. The men are all good and are
showing a fine spirit. We are kept
busy all day long and every man mas
something to do. have to keep what
is called duty roster, and can tell at a
glance Just what any man has done
since he has been here. 1t is hne
system and every man has to 90 MS
share. When a man shows an incllna-
ton to shirk his work he has corporal
Du, over him, who stands over him ana
sees that his work is done and done
we'll We have good corporals, and
when one is put over man ne is sure
TO work. One corporal was busted
TODAY because he showed a dislncllna.
ton for work. warned him several
times. but he didn't do any better, so
TODAY the lieutenant had him up and
"busted" him. He will work tomorrow.
He also worked the balance Of the day.
We sure have long day, too. We get
I'D at $50, which is not entirely easy
for me. Then at $50 We have revellle
or roll call, and it always has to be done
BY aashlight, as il does not get hgnt
until seven o'clock. After reveille we
have mess. Today for breakfast we
had "slum," meat and potato stew,
post toasties and hot milk, bread, but
ter and coffee. The breakfast will av-
eraee about that good. Fortunately
we have fine mess sergeant and our
food is always good. At eight o'clock
we have tent inspection by Lieutenant
Lefferts. go along with him to take
note of the duty tents. A cigarette butt
or piece OF orange peel or a scrap OF
paper anywhere on the floor is enough
TO cause call for the tent corporal,
and it falls on me usually to give the
"balling out" And | am getting pretty
proficient in the art. Yesterday the
captain of our battalion inspected the
line and got all the blows for any dis
order, and believe me passed them on
to the men. 1t seems that | am respon-
sible for about everything along the
whole line, and at times it gets little
warm, but wher it gets warm for me
make it hot for some one else. At e.lo
we 20 out and drill. | don't get to go
often, for there is so much to be done
that don't have the time. After drill
comes dinner. The afternoons are
spent in keeping things in order and
getting the work done about the line.
After supper the men are free in the
post until nine o'clock, when they must
be in their tents. Every day few men
get passes to town. They usually ex-
tend from 3 o'clock until 1890. That
gives a chance for the men to shop and
go to the movies. They have to be
mighty good in San Antonio, for there
is a big bunch of military police, and
they arrest a man for the slightest Of
Tense. The men who went in last Sum-
day say that their arms were stiff from
saluting officers. You can't imagine
the number of commissioned officers
there are around San Antonio. II keeps
us busy saluting.
Tomorrow being Sunday we won't
have a whole lot Of work to do. Only
Is men of our hundred are detailed to
headquarters for work, and forty OF the
balance are detailed for the regular
work about the line, such as kitchen,
police, guard, etc. We don't pay a
whole lot Of attention to Sunday, the
only real difference being we get butter
twice day instead OF once. We have
lots OF fun all the time, too. There are
several men in our line who are really
comical, and then there are always
jokes being played on someone, too.
Then when man gets special duty for
some infringement he is always made
fun Of, which is worse than the pun
ishment.
There are just so many things to tell
about that when get chance to write
my pen just seems to run away, and |
have hard time getting stopped. We
had to take the first innoculation for
typhoid over again, as more than ten
days had elapsed. My arm got pretty
sore this time, and felt poorly the next
day. Some of the men were knocked
out completely, with chills and fever,
and one or two were in pretty bad shape.
But they have gotten over it by now.
Some Of the men have chronic ailments
to keep out Of work, but they are so
easy to spot that We don't pay any at
tention to their ailments at all. One