The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1918-11-07
From Chas. w. Rogers. /,

u x x x x x x 4 x x
From Chas. w. Rogers.
Somewhere in France,
My Dear Sister: Have not been
in a position to write for some time
back. Have been on a hike for quite
few days, until we arrived on the
about l l o'clock, in a driving rain.
About 2 O'Clock this morning the
artillery sure raised h and the
sky was alight. The air was sure
alive with big shells over our heads
until late in the day. 1t has been a
whole week now since the drive COM
menced and Sis, the ordeal we have
when he said: war is hell One
that has never been in a big battle
can never imagine the awfulness of
1T. When you, have to keep busy as
you work. with your eyes on a,
ditch or shell hole to fall into when
Ing at you, or machine gun bullets
Tipping at you. can tell the world
life seems mighty dear to a fellow
and you know mighty quick how
much of chance your life has if a
shell hits you, by, observing the
the battlefield. One is busy, all the
time lodging bullets and shrapnel.
There is big Boche gun throwing
shells short distance to my left as
l write now and l can hear them
coming for a long ways AS they
travel closer the scream goes into a
tearing roar. Sounds like they are
and burst and the shrapnel flies
whistling over our heads. When it
comes to looking at torn dead bodies
and blood, they don't bother me
now but l have to dig out and move
yet when l see a man torn all to
stu (, conscious and a, n m3oIaning ! Mel" e
such ordeals as that Well, Sis, l
must close. Tell the rest will write
as soon as / can get an opportunity.
Yours as ever, brother Will
My Dear Sister: Perhaps you
have received my last letter of over
a week ago, | think, but am not
sure now just when l wrote. Time
sure does fly with us fellows. We
cannot keep track of dates or hardly
days of the week, but if you will note
TENDER 18th. you will no doubt
tie / will never forget. One who has
never been in large battle can new
er begin to imagine the feelings and
sights that you will experience. At
ter you have been among the dead
a very short time it seems not to
an every, day occurrence but one
feeling. that is very hard to break
away from is the feeling to want
to fall into deep shell hole or dug
out to escape the flying shrapnel
from high explosive shell or farth-
machine, gun bullets. By Jove, !
don't believe a man is hardly human
that will not want to duck from
them. Some of the fellows become
shell shocked or very. nervous so
that when a shell explodes close or
we are gassed they almost have
nervous prostration. The company
enemy airplane and killing the avi-
ator. We sure did pump him full
Of holes before he hit the ground
back of us (our lines) but the dirty
German had done us considerable
dirt before we got him. It sure is
are now back of the lines yet within
hearing of our music "the big guns
on q short rest) the front for the
rear, the Germans shelled us for
several miles as we marched along
the road. We were ordered once to
fall out into nearby trench for pro-
lection for a few minutes. AS luck
would have it (but it seems miracle
to mel no one was hurt. l am
wearing a dead mans blouse at
present, as mine was torn and worn
out rolling through barb wire en-
tanglements and shell holes, to duck
some shrapnel and machine gun bull
iletsh. I found the blouse out on
the battlefield covered with blood
and with shrapnel hole through
the right arm and side. l am still
Ia the same division as in the states
and our division has made a name
for itself already. We get silver
Rr for distinguished service, from
g u. s. government and hear we
some kind of braid from the
ench government The star and
months foreign stripe with req
mond division mark) will make
e AN armful of ornaments. Well
had better close, yours as ever,
Charles w. Rogers,
tn U. 8. Engrs.,
can Exp. Forces.