The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-05-22
PRIV. STUMP WRITES
..NEWS..TELLS
OF joke ON BOYS

John C. Stump, who left here a few
weeks ago for service, writes the fol-
lowing:
Radio Mechanic Detachment,
18th Service Company,
Camp Alfred Vail,
Little Silver, N. j., May 16, 1918.
Belding News-Banner and Friends:
After three weeks in the army l
find there is not much show of getting
across the pond.
/ passed all examinations at Grand
Rapids and Columbus, Ohio, and was
then dressed in the uniform which
| think a great deal of and after a
few days | was sent to Fort Wood,
New York and as we supposed were
to go across but only part of US were
able to pass the examination at the
fort. / was turned down on my teeth,
eyes and throat, but they found job
for me though it only lasts 13 weeks
at the school of the Radio Mechanics
or in other words the wireless section
of the Signal corps in which | am in
as a photographer. But / am now
acting as orderly for our lieutenant
which is very easy and / spend most
of my time writing letters when /
have letters to write as / have a fine
desk with paper and all furnished.
| am on duty one day and the next
day / take it easy.
l have not had to drill since / got
here.
/ must tell you the little joke they
played on us at Fort Wood.
We were at drill when our first
sergeant called on "a of us by name
and gave us orders to pack our bar
racks bags and turn in our cots as
they had done with the boys for over
seas and we all went on the run for
he said our boat would soon be ready
and we all thought it was overseas for
us and we were giving some of the
other boys the laugh. We got our
boat all right but were landed in Jer-
sey City and took the train here. We
found our overseas was over land and
the laugh was on us instead of the
boys we were laughing at.
1t is nothing here to see from two
to four airplanes in the air at once
and we can see them most any time we
look up so it makes fellow get used
to il but they make an awful noise.
There are two bedrooms in the build
ing where / sleep and each room holds
rs men and most of them are anxious
to go across but | tell you they all
have some studying to do for each
one must pass a government test,
which is none too light. l have
seen quite a few sight; one thingsin
particular. / met number of
French soldiers whom are known as
the blue Devils" and had the pleas
ure and honor of going up the statue
of Uiberty with these heroes. / call
them heroes for they proved it by
their scars which were numerous.
The statue of Liberty is between
300 and 400 feet high; some say $50,
some say 355 but when a man gets
to the top of the arm and goes out
upon the torch and looks down, he
doesn't feel very comfortable but the
statue is more beautiful at night than
in the day time for lights from all
sides light it up and the torch is lit
giving it a very beautiful appearance.
/ also heard lecture by one of the
famous aviators of England and his
stories would make most any ones
blood run cold and put every man to
an English aviator but he was born
and raised near Washington, d., g.!
but enlisted in the English army in the
early part of the war.
If the young men would enlist and
Uncle Sam would send us all over at
once think would see the Germans
scatter for have seen forces enough
in what time I've been in the service
to make most any kaiser blush.
| will close with telling you how we
are made save every man is required to
clean his plate and to waste nothing
and If he does not obey orders he is
given some extra hard work to do.
which most any soldier doesn't like if
it's for punishment.
Pvt. John c. Stump,
Radio Mechanic Detachment, 18th
Service Company, Little Silver, N. ].