Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-09-18
PRAISE OUR BOYS
Says Our Boys Over in France are
Made of the Right Kind of
Stuff. Injured Ones Can
Hardly Wait to Get
Back to Front
RUDOLPH Is DOING
HOSPITAL WORK
Train Load Patients Arrived at A4e
Hospital One Day, Made Up of
Fifteen Cars
Aug. IL, 1918.
Overhere

My Dear Father:
Will now try and send few line
before dark. Since l wrote Anns
we have received two more hospita
trains, so our hospital is now quite
full. Many of the boys from the
168 Division are here. / dom
know If you know but that division
consists only of Iowa boys. There
are no Winneshiek county boys thai
] know of. | make it my Interest
to look up as many of the Iowa
boys as possible. Division (16S) is
noted for its desperate fighters
About 20 of the boys are here now
that is about all that is left of that
division | guess. The Hawkeye
men and boys have been doing their
share.
This afternoon i was at.a funeral.
One of the (16S) boys passed away,
and | thought | owed the tribute
TO one of our own boys. The services
were simple, but well meant. You
cant realize what feelings we ex-
perienced as we followed our COM
rades to their last resting place.
Our boys sure are made OF the
right stuff. Those injured can
hardly wait until they again can go
to the front. l was talking with
one of our officer patients and he
made the remark, 1--WE have to adj
mire the pluck of the boys in 16S.
They are the real fighters" He
was not thinking of the state from
which the boys hailed either.
Neither did he know where was
from.
am feeling very well consider
ing the many things that we expert
ence.
Our previous training has meant
a lot and / am glad had the same.
Have been exposed in many ways
but so far have not answered sick
call once since joined the army.
am surprised that fellow can
keep we'll when undergoing so many
extremes, such as bad water, heat,
cold, dampness, wet feet, diseases,
sleeping on the ground, eating
canned goods, constantly, and every
thing like that. think a fellow is
lucky that can pass through such
conditions without being afflicted.
do miss drinking water though. I
can't bear coffee. and we have had
nothing but coffee to drink since we
left U. s. A. We have pretty good
river water here, but do not-drink
much of 1t as the fellows get sick
from it. / never cared much for
sweets while in the states, but would
be willing to pay good price for
same here. 1t is necessary to buy
eats quite often or we would have
to go hungry pretty often. Can
med goods from the states are fairly
reasonable. The French sure
charge exorbiant prices for what
they sell to the soldiers. The French
know the scarcity Of supplies among
the soldiers and therefore know
that a soldier will pay almost any
price for certain things. The result
lis a "hold up. Yet we consider it
a privilege to purchase the same.
Must close.
Best regards,
RUDOLPH o. EVANS.
B. H. 6S A. p. o. $50.
Am. E. Forces, France.
Somewhere in France
Aug. 4, 1918.
Ny Dear Sister Anna:
Finally / shall take time to send
you a few lines. Have been more
than busy during the past two weeks
SO / have had little il anything to
write. We usually put in our time
from to Z and sometimes longer.
/ have been doing almost all kinds
OF work. When / wrote you last we
were busy preparing for a hospital
train of patients. The same arrived
several days later. Sad was the
sight of same. shall never forget
how / felt as / saw the poor unfor-
tunates lying there on their. stretch
ers. Then for the first time was the
reality of the war brought nearer to
me. There were fifteen cars OF
patients. The cars were especially
prepared to carry them. There are
six rows of stretchers in each car,
three above the other. Some cars
have special seats for those who are
liable to sit up. Each car carries
labout IS patients. Each train has
Its own nurses and doctors, almost
like a travelling hospital. / became
quite fatigued carrying the heavy
stretchers, as We made hurried trips
to the different wards and back
to the train again. OF course we
could not rest as we had to bring
relief to the patients as soon as pos
Isible. Many patients could walk
ISuch men had slighter injuries and
wounds. The effect of that sight
had serious influence on us boys
when we saw the suffering that
some of the boys had to endure, we
were glad to put up with almost any.
Thing and quit our grumbling over
trifling matters. We finished un.
loading our patients about one o..
o'clock and missed our dinner, but
1--we paid little attention to that
MANY of those back from the FROM
Isay that they have gone 3 and
days without eats. So ! guess we
lean go without eats once in while
Jour work for several days consisted
lof taking care of the patients.
was put in a ward. Each ward had
1850 patients. We had no nurses. Ar
Iorderly and assistants. Thai
meant that three men had to wash