Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1918-06-06
From Walter Beach
Nearing Camp, MAY %.

passed. W udyliSilt'
From Springfield on we've had
no stops except in terminals
Kansas City, St. Joseph and Di'
agonal, Iowa, for water, coal or
change of engines. Our meals are
served in tin plates. We pass by
q man who tells US to take a tin
cup from a pile of hundreds in a
great box in the corner. Next is
q man dishing up hash or meat
and potatoes and another butter.
ing bread and still another giving
US either an orange each or a
piece of cake. For dinner I had
boiled beef, mashed potatoes, two
radishes, apple sauce, three pieces
of buttered bread, some cabbage
slaw and a piece of cake. Coffee
is served every meal. l sat for 3
hours with a 200 pound giant of
6 feet IL inches in height, the
biggest man in this thousand. In
his pocket he carried a songbook
of Pentecostal hymns. The next
tallest man was 6 feet 6 inches.
Taken as a whole this bunch is as
good hearted and as generous a
bunch as I've ever been in.
Headquarters Company, 35Oth
Infantry, Camp Dodge, Des
Moines, Iowa,
Dear Mother, Father, Grand
mother and Sisters: l was sing
led out, one of the first in my
bunch of 20, as special service
man. None of US have been ex-
amined yet. We are grouped TO-.
gether in long 2 story houses or
barracks, containing a few hund.
red double. deck hunks each. l
am in the building where the
35Oth band is stationed. In front
of each building is a wash room,
where one can clean up. or wash
his clothing, shave or take a
shower bath. When we got into
the depot at Des Moines, an Off
Ger yelled: Unload and face this
way" When all were out the
command was given: March,
We passed through the streets of
Des Moines, 1900 strong, four
abreast, reaching 8 or 6 blocks,
perhaps further, as l could not
see the end of the line. Every,
thing was still until some onlook,
er in front of a hotel threw VI
his arms and let out a yell; then
the men took it up and sustained
it for several minutes. The slo
gan all the way in was: We'll
get the kaiser" After about a
one.mile walk to the interurban
line we boarded another train
aed were hauled 10 miles to camI
where we again marched around
in front OF the registry building
and were each given a card to fl
out-Beach, Chas. Walter, Piant
Tuning and Repairing-and then
we marched through a room
where we received an identified
ton number. Mine is 3,23O,372
Next we passed in front of a mar
who yelled either machine gun
stamping our card thus, 1850
and that was what he put on mJ
card. We then marched out and
we we're lined up between ropes
and taken 20 in a group to be
marched around to the place
where long rows of steel trucks
awaited our loading. When We
were in and the back door closed
away we were rolled, perhaps 2
miles, down a paved street past
great numbers of barracks, all 2
stored. l heard one fellow say
tbis camp is nearly 1 miles long
and probably 2 miles wide. Visi.
tors cars, officers side car mot
orcycles, soldiers and officers, a.
foot or on horseback, usually by
twos, big trucks-all passing all
the time. We were wheeled past
our destination, as the truck
driver could not turn at the cor
ner he intended to make, on &C
count of congested traffic, thus
we were given a free ride farther
around than we were intended TO
be taken. Unloaded and marched
up onto a sidewalk, we we're
questioned by a number of men,
who glanced at our cards. My
uuestioner asked me what school
ing l had had and how my feet