Douglas Island news., 1918-03-15
HOPPER SENDS
 LONG LETTER Douglas Boy Writes Interestingly of DOings in Fort Riley,
 Kansas, Camp

Douglas, Alaska.
 Dear Sir: While the eat is away
 the mice will play; Major AxlInc has not as yet come back from Che noon hour SO l will attempt a letter in his absence. as an the books, rec ords, etc., are under lock aud key until his return
 This being tho day for signing Che muster roll there is a continual line of men stringing through the
 office like herd of cattle with their great heavy boots and the ex- tra inch or more of Kansas mud cakod onto thc solcs of their shoes
 10 actually raincd couple Of. hours Che other day, and if you ever saw any sticky, black mud in your life. think this Kansas mud win compare very favorably with it Back i'm South Dakota. where ! lived for some time, they used to have thick blue composition which they called gumbo, and this is Che near est approach have seen to that since was a small boy at any rate. if it had raincd an day here Instead of a couple of hours, it| surely would have been impossible to navigate with anything less than some vehicle with caterpillar wheels. l
 Tho new recruits continue to come n steadily. the present rate being about thirty-nvc per day. from an sections of the country. The med l ical department is sull something | like 6O.OOO short of what it will need Co be up to full strength when l Che second draft shall have been ]. completed; that is. there are such l and such a number of medical de- l partmcnt men assigned to each di- vision of each of the other branches l Of Che service.
 The different branches within the l medical cdpartmcnt itself are nu- mcrous and, to me, at least, interest ing. There are thc ambulance l corps. the hospital corps, the cyacu- ! alton corps, Che base hospital corps !. the dental corps. and within the ! scope of cnlistments are included ] men n an walks of lifc. Dentists ]. chaunours mechanics, drivers vet crInary men, horscmcn. horse | shoors. carpenters, blacksmiths l nurses. and SO on down tho list; in . fact. the medical department Is com plctc within itself from top to bot- tom. and is ranked as one of thc ] highest branches of Che service. and ] has recently been put by General ! Pcrshing above Che aviation itself l with regard to service rendered and ! Che danger incurred in performing ! a large part of the duties coming ] under tho head of Che department l
 or course, the medical department ! has the overseeing of an thc saui- tation of an the camps. etc., and an the commissioned officers are either doctors. surgeons, dentists or voter mary surgeons. but it is surprising ] the completeness of an the different branches of duties coming under Che head of the medical department l
 There were about forty men ship ! ped Co the American Institute at ! Washington. D. C.. that morning l Cwhatever institution that may bol ! and | was very sorry that they have ] considered it necessary to hold scv- eral of us Co do clerical wark here ] in the mastering office until the ar ! rival of a large number of new ar rivals due in a few days, under che. second draft. Co bring up tho num- !. bers of enlisted men in this depart !. mcnt Co full strength This kept ! five of us who have managed Co chum together more or less ever since our arrival here, from gettins in on this particular shipment of men. So that while having am in-| side job at this time of year has its advantages SO far as the inclomency of the weather is concerned, it also has its drawbacks However. have learned that an enlisted man is not supposed to think, and we have plenty of time ahead of us to worry about what they will do with us.
 I am among a crowd, as I men toned before. some of whom are be ing held for expected clerical work and others are being kept for vari- ous necessary work around the camps and barracks. and who are still assigned Co the casual dotach- ment. for as soon as you are assign ed Co a company or an ambulance corps. or Co an evacuation hospital
 your training begins i'm earnest and there is no lct-up to it until the order comes for you Co turn in such of your equipment as is prescribed
 and to draw your ovcrsea equipment as issued, and from then on you are ready for the order of authorization Co New Jersey and from thence to France. There have been several shipments of companies in the few
 short weeks since I arrived here and we an anxiously await on order
 that will in the natural course of