The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-03-01
LETTER FROM SGT. RANKIN
SOMEWHERE OVER THERE

My Dear Dad: Your first letter
received to-day, and believe me,
am some happy this morning.
find now that you know l am safe
and well and have been knowing II
ever since l sent you the first cable.
think though you should have let
/ me known before this. l have been
very worried about you not knowing
my location and whether l arrived
safely across or not. We had won
derful time coming across, just
enough excitement to keep us guess
ing what would happen next. l en-
joyed the trip fine and wasn't bit
sick. The sea is wonderful bit of
creation and certainly makes one
think of the grandeur OF the world
to come when he tries to figure out
the intricacies teeming with unex-
plored creatures. sometimes be-
lieve am more or less philosopher.
probably less, but just the same,
received wonderful lesson from OBJ
serving things on the way across.
/ wish could tell you all the things
l did see but I am afraid they
wouldn't interest you as well as Just
how am faring and where / am.
We are still in England and
haven't been to France yet. We are
taking our final course in training,
preparatory to going to the front.
We came here on Christmas eve and
all of us are going to school here,
taking lessons from men who have
been to the front and understand the
conditions over there. So you see
we will be very well fortified against
the Hun. / am perfectly satisfied
with the conditions over here and of
course have seen better days, but
under the existing circumstances 1
could not expect any better than /
am receiving to-day. The English
treat us just like we were something
wonderful, and give us every cour-
tesy that they can possibly shower
upon us. l am afraid they are going
to spoil us before we have found the
conditions out for ourselves, though
men who know tell us that the con-
ditions at the front are far better
than what we are experiencing right
here. l find that very difficult to
believe though. Yet one must re-
member that they have had time to
fix things up very comfortably over
there now by this time.
You can dismiss your fears about
that great drive the Huns are pre-
pairing to launch. The brave allies
have withstood them this long and
please God'they will Withstand them
to the bitter end. The German
bolt has been shot and their force
has been expended. They have been
on the defensive for some time and
when we have been able to get our
strength into the struggle you will
see the boasted strength of the Huns
melt into the hazy history that al
ways shrouds the downfall of an en-
pire. We are fighting for the right
and we shall win for the right and
principles of the world, and when we
have won am quite sure there will |
be many surprises for the world, in |
the way of reconstrucing the form of |
government of some countries There |
are going to be some things come
0ut after this struggle that you
would never have suspected. We
have been ignorant of the trend of
Times and haven't thought Of much
except to make money and invest it
N such manner as to make more,
but after we have won this cause
'or the right, then you will see the
of nations rather than
he petty quarrels of the selfish ones.
tell you we are on the verge of a
reconstruction and | am very proud
o have the honor of being one of
hose lucky enuogh to help forge
he chain that will bind the hand of
be he either large or
mall. God has given us the oppor-
unity to shine where no other ma
ion or civilization has had this op-
'ortunity. We are being trusted not
With our own affairs but with the
fairs OF the world. We are Pc
situated so that we have
ssumed the protection Of the entire
yorld and when we have concluded
he passage Of history we are now
iaking you win And some sweeping
eforms. The time for inactfon has
eased and every red blooded Ameri-
an is in the fight right now or
hould be, though he isn't at the
ront he can do something to further
ne cause. We must forget the In
Its that have been heaped upon us