The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-06-08
AMERICAN TROOPS
HAVE FINE MORALE
Associated Press Correspondent at the
Front Reports-He Describes the
Situation at a Typical
Part of the Front.

New York, June s.--Experiences undel
fire and difficulties faced by correspon
dents in the battle zone in France ar'
told in letter just received by the As
ISOLATED Press from one of It's oorrespon
dents with the American expeditionary
forces. He also tells of the hne morale
of the American troops.
"The conditions in the north referring
10 the Disc districtl were quite exciting
for correspondence be writes "Nhen
was therea was living in town so close
10 the lines that six-inch shells came in
on us. A number OF shrapnel broke right
over my house, breaking Off the brick
like shingles. A Carnegie bowler (steel
helmetl was my best friend. There was
nothing quite so upsetting as to be writ.
ing piece for the papers and hear that
whistle of shell coming your way, hear
IL break almost overhead and then hear
the whistle that shrapnel makes as il
shoots downward. Tho incessant racket
kept up day and night.
Nights II was worse absolutely pre-.
venting sleep. There were the rumble
and roar of French and German guns
nearer the line, the crash of French
heavy about block away, the whistle OF
shell going out and coming in, and the
c-r.r-r-ump of Boche shells exploding
When you finally drop off TO sleep about
3 in the morning the racket is not 30
great, but you never know whether you
will wake up in the bed where you went
to sleep, hospital bed, or whether the
next thing you hear will be the voice of
old st. Peter telling you to wipe the
mud off your boots before entering.
added to other troubles, probably l
have small quantity of gas in me. | got
a Whit about three weeks or so ago. Ii |
wasn't enough to do any harm, aside
from making me vomit once and making |
my eyes and throat smart. The throat is
still little sore. / did not get enough,
luckily, to make me go TO a hospital or
even see a doctor. But l am glad / only
had one small Whit instead of couple |
of big ones.
"But the whole business is full to the
brim with excitement bred by uncertain
ty, and quite the most interesting thing
IN the world. l would not have missed
single one of the experiences ! have had
Tor million dollars. Any front, think,
s probably the most cheerful place on
,arth, although nobody would ever think
10. The further you get away from the
ront the more gloom there is. But where
hells fly and life is worth about a nickel
lothing matters to anybody. A laugh
md smile is the thing. | suppose this
5 because the average American soldier
toes into battle or into the front firmly
onvinced that he'll only get wound if !
he luck is. right, and at the same time
etermined TO forget all about it and en-
oy life. ] have heard more funny stories
nd more laughter among our men in the
ne in one night than have heard in all
he rest of the time that | have been in
Europe.
"And they are great crowd, these
ghters of ours, whether they do their
ghting on the ground or in the air. They
re game to the core, cheerful. happy.
nd have one thought only. That is =
Kill Germans, and they never overlook !.
chance. You can't beat an army that !
ills into the enemy with a grin on its :
zee and chuckle in its heart" I