The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-06-06
BREEZY SOLDIER
BACK FROM France
CONTINUED from page 81

A0OdpAAAAN0 llOIA page D
sent on seven day leave to amusement
camps IN southern France, where they
are given plenty of freedom and are
allowed to indulge in. sports of all kinds.
While on this leave, if they 90 where
they are sent they receive their rations
and a dollar {. day. Should they
want to go somewhere else, they must
pay their own expenses.
Many of them on their first leave
want to see Paris, the fashion center
of the world. Business goes on in Paris
just as it does in any large city in the
United States of America and excepting
for the occasional long range gun raids
one hardly feels the war there. Some
of the show windows are boarded up
or papered SO that sky lights cannot
reflect in them, but otherwise their
business district looks much like what
1t did before the war. Now that the
Americans are there the money flows
freely for the Sammy is generous AMI
spends all but his return fare to camp. -
Gunderson has had some mighty
thrilling experiences, Often. when in
charge Of trucks carrying supplies from
the main bases to the trenches, he has
been fred upon and in such cases the
trucks are Immediately hidden in dug
outs which are built under every road
for that purpose. French farmers are
filling the ground close to the front
and in case of a bombardment every
family has its dugout. Some times
they are forced to remain in them for
a week at a time
When passing through French towns
the boys often stop their trucks and
hundreds of peasants and children
crowd around curious and eager to
know all about them. The peasants
are very kind to the Sammies and look
upon them as their saviors.
A very amusing story that Gunder-
son had to tell was about the German
prisoners in France, whose belief it is
that Americans cannot cross the ocean
on account Of the subs. They insisted
that the first few loads that came over
were Englishmen dressed in American
uniforms, and you couldn It pursuade
them to believe otherwise. Later when
the troops arrived regularly they didn It
know what to make of it. They are
still under the impression that most
of our troops are in the bottom of
the ocean and that America cannot
even hel p win the war. How much
they have to learn!
Gunderson wants to get back to
France just as soon as possible. He
wants to put another gold stripe on his
sleeve and help get this fight to finish.
| "The war will last through this year, :"
he said, "but I doubt if it will last
through another" Not if we have a
million boys like Edward Gunderson.
He is a typical and worthy representa-
tive of America s fine young manhood
and Kenosha is as proud of his gold
stripe as he is. Like a true American
he dwells on not what America has
done, but what she has yet to do.
"There are river to dredge and har-
bors to build There are tracks to lay
across the whole of France, for America
cannot usurp France S railroad when she
is in such dire need of them herself.'
And Gunderson wants to hurry back
to help with it all. He wants to leave
his mother whom he hash It seen since
last October and brave the seas Che
scorns the subs) to again resume the
work that is going to assist in bringing
this war to speedy end. "Tell the
mothers to write if they want to make
their boys happy. You cannot imagine
how down hearted fellow feels when
he does not hear from home Write
plenty of letters and the boys will be
content. There is nothing that touches
the right spot like news from home. !"
Gunderson leaves the fifteenth of
this month for the south and in July
will once more embark for France
The good luck of his Kenosha friends
goes with him.