Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-08-24
Letters From
Local Soldiers
Private Thorvald wodder.


Dear Brother;
Will try and write a few lines to-
day as l am feeling better n am
still at the base hospital. The last
letter which / wrote to you l told you
that / had been gassed and was COM
ing along alright and that there was
nothing to worry about and l Will tell
YOU q little about what has happened
at the front when the big drive took
place which you have read in the pa
pers.
It was about $50 o'clock In the
| morning when q friend and were
| captured by ten Germans and had
our guns and belts taken away from
us and were told to go back to the
| German lines and we started for then.
when we came across q platoon of boys
| from our company and after telling
them what happened to us the lieu
tenant said we would all try and get
back to our lines. We were all glad
to try, even though their was q big
bunch of Germans to fight first. Hero.
is where the fun started.
We started with about ~forty-hve
men and had only gone about nifty
yards when we came across three
Germans and after taking them as
prisoners we stopped to rest and 1
happened to look UP or top of a hill
and their were about twenty Ger
mans and II was some fun taking them
ALI prisoners. After walking another
$50 yards we took nor prisoners;
all told we had nearly zoo Germans
and believe me that sure was some
fun TO walk behind them and If they
had not been a bunch of yellow backs
they would have captured us but that
is what kind Of people these Ger
mans were. They all looked to be
about s~eventy-hve or eighty years ola.
A. HnA1 unHry for fhn KQ1GRr
for he'll soon be getting what he has
been looking for the last four years
and when the boys get to Berlin the
Kaiser will know the Sammy boys are
not afraid of him or anything that
he has.
Well, brother. as there is lots to
write about and don't think ! would
be able to tell you all that has hap
pened at the front I will close, hoping
this letter will find you n the rest
in the best of health. I remain,
Your brother,
Vincent Runyon.
Somewhere on the Atlantic.
Dear Folks:
This steamboat Is just loaded with
soldiers and alb anxious to see lana.
So anxious in fact that many OF the
boys are going to turn out 20 see me
movie show In the mess hall this az
ternoon, lust 10 see land. The fresh
! sea breezes are more invigorattng 70
me than that close o down stairs.
have been many miles from water
before. down in Texas and Idoho for
instance, but never ave / been so iar
from land. / am now on the upper
deck and as far as : can see there IS
nothing but the other ships IN
convoy. We have excellent protec-
ton. Many are sea sick md longing
10 get there. There are many sad
Hooking faces. 1 had my share hut
withstood IL for some time. II WAS on
| the sixth or seventh day that ! began
to feel the fish for fare. was on
| watch during the day In n OF the
booths on the starboard side and
there was an unusual rough sea that
| day. There were two of us on guard
in the house spying for
The other fellow with me became
sick. I got sick on every two hour
shift. Today | am feeling 0. X: We
| still have several days before we land.
| We don't know at what country we
, will land, but any place Will look
good. I am glad I enlisted as our
fellows show more pep than n
drafted lads on this ship. / have as
much respect for the drafted men as
I have for the enlisted ones.
/ have slept on deck practically ev-
I cry night. The sea is quite interest
ing at times. All colors of water. big
waves. Never did I think thai the cid
| Atlantic at Asbury Park stretched u
so far. How I would like 20 see that
place now. I shall soon see land that
I never expected TO see for many
moons, perhaps never at all. Tho only
reason that I am glad to get off this
ship now Is to get away from the
smell OF sea sickness.
One night I was sleepinS on deck
and q rain came up. The fellows
were ordered on decK down stairs.
I was reluctant TO go at first. II was
a dark night and one poor felltw
wandered about carrying his blankets.
| while / sat there and laughed. IL was
quite crowded down stairs so ] came
up on deck and watched the waves
By the light OF the moon. am well
and happy and hope that this finds
YOU the same. When ! get home !
want n grand homemade meal.
| That's what I am looking forward TO.
VINCENT.