Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-06-12
GREATEST NAVAL TRAINING STATION
IN THE WORLD

TBy John S. Gross of La Fargo, from camp
Decatur, Co. IS. Barracks sssN, Great Lakes
Dear Home Folks: 1t makes little differ
ence where a man serves Uncle Sam in this
does his duty. You can be sure that one at
my age after having spent several years pre-
pairing for the profession of law, takes this
thing seriously. l was very near the enc Of
nv Law ,,course-but the days too full of
the great conflict 10 think of anything till
the victory is One can't do good work in
school in tires like these. but as ] said, this
is serious business for men OF my age.
There are lot of boys here, lads. who are
used to easy lives, and they come here expect
ing to have a hell of time, and as our
chaplain told us yesterday, they do have hell
Of time" but not the kind they expect.
Before we go far we will all have the same
spirit-service, under Uncle Sam.
This is the greatest naval training station
in the world Thousands Of men come in
here every week. They come from every
where, of every class and type Uncle Sam
Lakes and sends them out the most efficient
seamen in the world.
I was sent here in charge of three other
enlisted boys. had to carry the orders TO
the recording officer of the station, where we
got in line with hundreds of others to be put
on the lists second class seamen- we
passed a row OF Jac4ies at type-writers who
recorded names and homo addresses and
our rating. We got list of the clothing 10
be issued to When we were lined up BY
a fine big Jackie and about 50 of us were tax
a mattress, two wooden blankets and two big
bath towels. Then were marched TO our
barracks where we we're assigned TO s3s
north, each building being divided into two
sections north and south. Then We each
picked our hammOcks. Seamen sleep in ham
noeks We didn't get our hemmOcks made
mn III almost time for taps, nine O'Clock.
There wasn't much sleep the first night
Just make believe; the newness of the thing
prevented.
The barracks are made of wood. and each
section is about SO feet long and IS feet
wide and about 10 feet to the ceiling. The
entrance is in the center and the hammocks
are swung from heavy steel pipe frames.
The front part of the barracks room is open
space where we have our long wooden table
where we cat Chow and write letters
or read during spare time. The chow Is
cooked in q big chow house and put up in
bie cans. with FIVE or six containers, each
being filled with different articles. Each day
four men serve as chow men and get The eats
end serve il to US from the small chow ROOM
We are we'll fed by our Uncle Sammy toe.
Today for dinner had pork chops, potatoes,
grayv peas, butter, bread. mince pie and cof-
fee This is Sunday but other days are Just as
good In fact l eat more here than before /
came, and we rockies" are all hungry as
hounds when chow time comes. although we
know how they will feed after while If
our appetites continue. They let US come
back for more too.
You should see our barracks at O'Clock
each morning. The floor is scrubbed, chow
room polished, hammocks all dashed and swung
up, no waste paper anywhere-in TACT the
strictest sanitation is rigidly enforced every
where. There are six different divisions OF
detail work in each barracks and the bar