Western Kansas world., 1918-11-07
BERT GREENWOOD WRITES
Camp Lewis, WASH
September Is, 1918

l september Id, 1910.
Mr.. H. s. Givler.
Dear Sir: The folks send me the
"World" after they have read it and
| notice letters from many of the boys
/ who are in camp and in service over
seas but don't think there has been
anything from Camp Lewis so / am
going to write to let you know we
are still in the army.
There were seven of us who came
here from Trego and Graham counties
and we were all put into the regular
army units of the 44th Inf. / was in
Co. A. and understand that Lacerte
is now in Co. "A. though / have been
transferred to the 10th Inf. Co. A.
Rem Hinshaw and Oliver Inloes are
in Co. ''B" and Floyd Sites and Ubal-
aker are in Co. L. of the 44th.
In being sent here we have missed
all the real hot weather of the sum-
mer and have had a chance to see
some sights that we might not have
ever been able to have enjoyed. Here
we are very nicely situated with the
pine woods all around the camp and
Mout Rainier towering high up to the
clouds about forty miles east of US.
We are only about fifteen miles from
Tacoma and from there it is only
about two hours ride on the boat UP
Puget Sound to Seattle. Having lived
so long on the prairies you can i'm
agine that the pine woods, snow cap
ped mountains and boat rides on the
Sound are very much of a treat to
me. i have been enjoying them tc
the fullest extent.
The only real drawback to this
camp in nay estimation, is its dis
tance from old Trego county 1t takes
four or five days for letter to come
from home and furlough is out of
the question.
AS to drill, find that the exper-
ience with the Wa-Keeney State
Guards was wonderful help to me.
The only thing that we had not taken
up there that I have had here has
been more detailed guard drill, slzir-
mish line and "open order" drills. /
have had considerable of the guard
duty and the full course of gas de-
tense and part of the bayonet work
but we have only been on the short
distance rifle range. I believe the
boys in the 44th have had a consider
able more of the range and bayonet
work than we have had in the 10th
as it is a new organization and has
taken time to get under way
AS to comforts of the camp, we
are equipped as all camps are.
suppose. We have our barracks in
which are our sleeping quarters and
company mess hall. The camp has its
water, light and sewer systems and
one has all the conveniences possible
to expect where men are gathered in
such vast numbers.
At present I am in the Base Hos
pital, Ward Is. / was unfortunate
enough to have moved my bed over
where man had slept who had taken
the measles. So four of US were taken
up here and are held in quarantine
If neither of the men who sleep next
to me take the measles / will be out
of here in about twelve days more.
understand that there is an order
for me to transfer to some other work
that will take me out of the company
and regiment and may possible even
remove me from this camp but I
will not know about that until I am
out of this quarantine. However I
will let my friends know where / am
placed and will be mighty glad to
hear from them.
With best wishes to all my old
home friends, remain
1 have been working up some in
teresting things about the big noun
tain which towers up here east of
us and looks so close that it seems to
belong to the camp
1t looks like it was only ten or
| twelve miles away while in fact the
statictics says it is about 40 miles
due southeast of Tacoma and we are
Is miles southwest of that city, so it
is probably as far to the mountain
from here as from the city.
Mount Rainier is $50 feet higher
than Mt. Shasta and aside from its
most remarkable altitude which was
for time considered to be the high
est point above sea level in the Unit
ed States. It has many other remark
able features which makes its name