Warren sheaf., 1918-12-04
Arthur Skonovd Writes About Camp
-. s,...E.s Life. .@1
November II, 1918.

aF .I.-r 2as@ November II, 1918.
Dear Folks: a'l@. e-s ss
Received your letter yesterday, was
very glad to get it, too. can tell you.
am sorry that you should have to
wait so long for my first letter. ] in
tended to send you a letter much sooner
than did but it is almost impossible
to get time to do anything for yourself
around this joint. / got your letter
yesterday noon but I did not get time
to read it before after 10 O'Clock last
night. We are on the go all the time
every day, Sundays and all. When we
first came here we were told that we
were to be sent across inside of a
month, so they started to drill us pretty
hard right away and they have kept at
it ever since. I suppose some changes
will take place now since the war is
over. 1t really is too good to be true
that the war is over; everybody here
is feeling very happy about it. I don't
know what they will do with us,
whether they will send us home soon or
not. Some say that we will be home in
side of month. They say around here
that those that want to go to France
will have chance to go if they want
to, but don't think there will be very
many around here who will be going to
France. Most of them are more
anxious to go home. I don't know what
to think about it myself. If I go to
France I will have to stay there three
or four years and don't think I would
care to do that; what do you folks
think I should do? I hope we will get
away from this camp pretty soon any
way. Agnes said in her letter that she
thought everything was nice and green
out here. Well, haven't seen q green
spear since I came here. All we see
around here is sand and nothing but
sand. There are few high mountains
out from here all the way from 25 to
~ miles away. When we look at them
they don't seem to be more than a mile
away and some not as far as that.
Demming is little town little ways
from here. I don't know how far away
because l have never been there yet
we have been at quarantine ever since
we got here on account Of the "Flu'.
Last night quarantine was lifted so
quite few Of the boys went to town,
but l and few other boys were put on
guard last night for "a hours so we had
to stay here. That is how + happen to,
have time to write this letter now. We
are on guard ? hours out of s, that
gives us four hours to ourselves. I was
on, guard last night from 8 till II and
then from till 5: to night at o'clock
we will be- changed off again. It was
fine to, guard last night, but this morn
ing it started to rain and now about l.
p. m. it is just pouring down.. I am sit
ting in tent now Onea1c cot with book
on my knee trying to write. There are
six other boys in here with me: we
have a little stove in the center to keep
us warm, but the water is dripping all
around us so we are just barely keep
ing dry.
So Herman is sorry lie can't go. , Il
don't know but don't think Herman
would like it very we'll here Just
about all the boys that were with ine
when left home would be very glad to
go home now if they had chance. f 1t
anybody. thinks he is going to have a
good time when he joins the army he
is mistaken here we have to work and
work hard too. A person in the army
has to do what he is told whether he
likes it or not. If he doesn't he will
soon find himself in trouble. A lot Of
boys that come here that never have
been away from home before are hav-
ing hard time of it. Last week one
guy was put in the guard house for 30
days for telling an officer to go to HI.
am getting along pretty well, nobody
has 'balled me out yet. The training /
had in drilling before helped me out
quite a bit. am corporal now. I
haven't got my warrant yet but think
will get it alright if work hard
enough. That Ed. Nyberg is in my
squad and also a fellow from Crook
ston who was in the Crokston Home
Guard. Army life is a great expert
ence. am glad I got chance to try
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