Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-11-13
Son of MIR. and Mrs. Thomas Gilman
OF This City, Sends an interest
ing Letter Home
SAYS DUTY COMES
BEFORE ANYTHING ELSl,
Says That the Howl of the Cyotes
Makes Things Sound Kind of
SpOoky at Night
Hachita, New Mexico,
Oct. 16, 1913
Dear Folks:

I Has Earl been called yet? / hope
not as the Flu is so bad in the big
camps that he would most likely get
it as guess that it must be the style
up in the Northern part of the U. S.
The commanding officer of this
POST got telegram yesterday saying
that this camp is the only camp in
the U. S. that hasn't got case of the
Flu, so you see we hnve something
to be glad OF, even tho we are down
here on the border
\ got back to camp just in time to
make the hike and got back to camp
the IA, so you see / have been so
busy that could not write before,
so will try and make up for lost
time.
You know that duty comes before
anything else, so | know that you
will excuse me this time anyway.
| almost got it down on the bor-
der, you see it was this way about
it, | was on guard and it was so
dark that could hardly<see, l start
ed for the correll to see how the
horses We're and got down by the
fence and a big RATHER put two very
neat holes in the leather part Of
Z my laggings, but it did not go
through. / never was so mad in my
life so l pulled my gun and started
shooting, got him you can bet. He
had seven rattles and button, cut
them off and was going to send them
home but they got smashed up in my
saddle pockets on the way in SO
could not send them.
We had over hundred quail and
ducks while we were out and I don't
want to eat quail for some time to
come, as / sure got well fed up on
them. To-. k9tI
You ought to be here some night
and hear the cyotes howl, it is some
thing awful until you get used to
them and there must be hundreds
of them all trying to Guido the
other, it sounds kind of spooky at
first.
You tell Earl that he will find
army life as different from civilian
life as day and night, but tell him
to obey orders and no matter how
foolish they seem sometimes to him,
to do them just as he is told and he
will get along alright.
l know that they seem foolish at
first but i done just as | was told and
have never had to do an extra or
had an officer speak hard to me, not
everyone can say that for themsely,
es. You see it is to teach the men
dicipline and never was a civilian
law as strict as army dicipline.
thought it might help him when he
gets there as know how wanted to
lick about a dozen officers at first,
but l kept good hold on my tenn
per and now / am glad of it.
You see an extra is in the kitchen
or cleaning up the stables and correll
and it is no snap when one does
about week OF it, they are very
meek.
was on guard last night, 1t Is
something that Frank will never
have to do in the M. ID. and tell him
that he isn't missing anything either,
as it sure is one of the most tire
some things about soldering.
We had big program of wrest-
ling and boxing here this evening
and it sure was good. Our troop
challenged the rest of the squadron
here and the first boxing match last
ed lust 40 seconds. Our man knock
ed a fellow from X troop out in just
the time, some fast work don't
YOU think, this fellow reminds me
so much of Helof, he looks enough
like him to be his twin brother.
4 Next came wrestling match and
our man downed fellow from the
M. ID. Corps in the first fall, 1t TOOK
him 80 seconds and one minute and
20 seconds, the last fall.
Next was a boxing match for ligh'
weights which was draw and the
last and big one was two heavles
locked horns in four round bou'
which was also draw Two OF our
best men couldn't get match II
camp as no one wants to stel
through the ropes with them, so we
have the best fighters in the bunch
both with rifles and fists.
You see when We shot for RECORD
lin combat firing we made more
points then than the other three
troops put together, so guess We
can feel proud when we say That we
/ are from troop I.
! Well as / have run out OF news