River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-07-11
John Rasmussen
Writes from France


from John Rasmussen, by his pa
rents, Mr.. and Mrs. S. ]. Rasmus-
sen, of Minot, N. D.
May 13, 1918.
Dear folks:-The longer remain
a detachable part of this machine
the more fragmentary | feel and the
more incomplete my look on life be-
comes, so that to give you an i'm
preston complete of our trip inland
on the toy cars, our villages and
billets, our training and all. is inn
possible. I'd like to tell you Of the
country, the folks and the customs,
but your Stoddard, with its photo
graphs and descriptions can g v e
you as good an idea of the country
you can guess we're in, as can,
even though his work dates from
the '9O's. Things don't change much
in French villages. l suppose you
have an idea of what they are, nest
led here and there in valleys or
against hills OF struggling on ridge
tops, with the rude stone houses,
the curve d, muddy, picturesque
streets, the ducks and cows in the
alleys, and their silence of a country
side, below all the noise of trucks
and cars and drilling soldiers.
No young men, no young women.
When we have all our middle aged
men in the army and our women in
the factories, we can begin to know
what war is. At that | think it is
harder on us at this stage, for our
minds have not been prepared and
seasoned for it as have the French,
through decades of preparation and
army training among the men.
That's something want to tell
you about, too; army training and
its effect on one. If you think we
are over here in misery of mind and
full of forebodings, and homesick.
and discouraged at what's ahead of
US, you must consider our training.
We've been eased into it all through
successive steps, so slowly that we
didn't notice 'em. It's taken the
place of brain, soul and will When
we 90 to the trenches what fear
there is will be the mob fear, and
our discomforts will be endurable
because our feelings have been more
or less toughened. You find that
the man adapts himself to almost
anything and we'll soon feel at ease
in the trenches. Besides, we have
a whole summer to prepare our
selves for winter campaign life, 1--WE
won't be so out Of luck as Co. d
men were), and that's the hardest
part of it.
Just at present I'm with squad
from our company at a sort of
school. We're learning vari gu S
things we should have learned in
the states to fit us for special duties.
l suppose you know from articles
and news more about the various
activities, like scouting. patroling,
observing and sniping than | do,
and we are forbidden to describe
our work, it's a case of use your
own knowledge, to find out what
I'll be doing the next few weeks.
At present I'm escaping the heavy
grind of intensive training, going
through various night maneuyers,
walking trips and exercises in place
of it.
We enjoy views, when the sun
shines, that are as beautiful as any
thing I've SEEN We're situated in
valley about as wide as the Mouse,
but the hills and woods and cultiva-
ton remind me more of River Falls
country, even to the little river with
its tree-bordered banks and it's rap
ids. This must be young paradise
of country to spend a vacation in,
afoot. Pm having pleasant time,
even under present conditions, but
when | come back We'll arrange for
a return to France. put the old
Dodge to donkey, and tour as we
please.
Take my present position, if you
like sample of what's pleasant in
this hamlet life. I'm sitting on a
stone wall, just where it begins to
crumble and disappear for time
beneath tunnel Of weeds and vines;
to my left lies half-neglected gar
den. wee one, bounded helplessly