Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-12-18
LAWRENCE RIGGS
0. X. IN FRANCE
Well Known DecOrah Soldier Boy
Has Seen Some Fierce Fighting.
Would Liked to Carried il
Into Germany
LOST BEST PAL
IN LAST BIG BATTLE
Tells About the First German
Prisoner He Captured. Yelled
Kamrad Long Before He
Saw Him
Somewhere in France.
Oct. rs, 1918.

Oct. rs, 1918.
Dear Friend:
Will try to write few lines and let
you and all know that | am all o. K,
and | hope you and all are the same,
We are at the same big game and
playing it hard We have been at it
for a good long time; started in July
and have had the Huns on the run all
the time, and say, man can see 1t on
the old Co. E. as it is getting hard to
see an old man, just few left and
when man can stay up and get by
he surely is lucky one.
In this last fight | lost one of my
best pals. You knew him, his name
was Brandt 1t was shrapnel that
got him. The last | saw of him was
at the dressing station. Believe me, it's
hard to keep a good pal in this hard
war, and all man can do is to try TO
go on and make the best of it, and all
we are doing is the best we can, and
are all going to fight and try to bring
this to an end soon, and | think that
the good old folks at home know that
the American doughboys are making
good.
Say you should have seen us when
we got some German prisoners We
surely have big time trying to talk
to them. | will never forget the first
one captured. 1t was in the morn
ing, and the big attack was on, and on
my way over | came into a German
.dug-out, and when came to find out
1t was good one, too, all kinds OF
good drinks. So | started to look the
place over, aud found that it must
have been a German place, and it was.
not long before found a German in
it. Ha, ha, you should have seen me!
Didn't have thing to fight with, for
/ had set my gun on the outside, but
things we're all right for the German
was a Kamerad. He had yelled Kam-
erad long before had seen him. /
looked the, place all over and found
all kinds of-you know, SO kamerad
and / surely did have a time that
morning.
But it wasn't long until was on
my way to headquarters with him, and
on the way over we met a boy that
could talk to him and the German was
saying that this war had seen its best
days, and that the Germans were get
ting all they like of it, and that !,
surely was good man to be captured
by and | think he was right; that is
the good american part of it.
But it was not long until ! was back
to where the Co. was and back to
where there were more. Germans, and
say, where we are at present we are
having some hard fighting, and they
don't like to get out, they stay right
by their machine guns They surely
have some guns, too, They are the
best made. II was machine guns that
got all the boys from home. But at
that guns will never stop us, and If
this thing lasts much longer, we will
bring the war home to them. A little
war in Germany would do good, |
think. Let some of the big guns play
on their homes like they did in France
and / think it will set them thinking
soon, and that is just what is coming,
and coming soon. So if | can just
stay right by IL, and come out OF a
few more good drives, think will
be back soon We are all thinking that
this is not going to last for ever and
that 6tI Will never see spring, 50 If the
boys AL can be home by the 4th OF
July 1919, things will be OK. with
me, lia, ha.
just think, to be back home, just
to say back home, is saying big
thing. when man thinks of what he
has got by with.
So / will close for this time with
hopes that this is the end of the war,
and that will be the one to come
back to you soon.
With love and best regards to you
all Yours,
LAWRENCE RIGGS.
Cd d