Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-10-24
Dear Dad:

Dear, Dad: So
/ just woke up, rolled over and
started to write. My writing will
argue that I've comfortable position,
however, the end justifies the means.
Hope you can put together my dashes
and crosses.
Guess my ship has surely come in,
yesterday brought me fifteen letters
from America, two of them the long
looked for and about to be despaired
of letters from you. I'm very happy,
could rave myself exhausted about
how treasured and sort of restored
feel after hearing from you. Oh! Dad,
so often l wish, SO very very often,
that could see you and we could live
over again our last year together. I'm
not of a sorrowful or unhappy or
grave disposition, as you know, but
there are times when it seems to me
l could give Dante some pointers on
torture, or isn't that appropos.
The other night the Boche got us
in a bad place, little town just back
of the lines, dropped flare, located
us on the road and spent a few min
utes with us, favoring us with bombs
shrapnell, machine guns and stuff to
burn. We kneW there were five planes
as they dropped twenty-five bombs.
Fortunately, they were not much as
marksmen as they only hit three
camions. We lost one and three woun-
ded. One was our cook, he was to be
free the following day, and so, when
we pulled out that night he thought
he'd jump on and make the trip
we'll he did.
The fellow who was trying for the
Ram with me is now on the same
camion, both of US lost, they gave it
to a man who is awaiting commission,
but they allowed us to be on the same
car which is comfortable as we are
very good friends.
In your letter you remarked about
our food it is so in the American
army but our mess is composed mainly
of beans Cred canned beef and canned
corn beef. And that white bread is
purely mythical. If it is necessary to
ration us thus, there is not one with
us who would whimper but if some
[one is responsible, if it is just sheer
neglect, some one ought to be inves-
Rtigated. But to go on, we have the
most wonderful perfectly blended
mould in this bread Of ours, and it is
most useless to send packages as they
are, or stand a pretty good chance of
being, ransacked before reaching us
One of the boys found calander with
his name on it, flying on the wall OF
our mission, which is all war and tc
be expected. We expect it in a measure
But these articles" what our boys are
eating in France" and these endless
chains of donations are a direct in.
suit to your and our intelligence
Donate if you choose, observe meatless
and wheatless days, if you will but
don't tell me of it and above all dom
send articles. They are funny and my
sense Of hnmor is, ! fear, dissipatet
This sounds like calamity letter, il
is not, I'm perfectly satisfied, it i.
ell a new and necessary education. Tn
learning to handle myself, deny my
seH things and confront my littl'
prdblenns without turning to my fam
lily for help. / wouldn't lose it, it,
going to mean lots later.
/ This, is the third front I've worked
on now, in fact when you read of lot
\ of action on one front, you can i'm
] mediately assure yourself that JIM
outfit is there.
I / can hazard no guess as to tn
duration Of the war. We are doinl
j wonders now, but they have an army
and the French fought four year
without one, and against odds. Afte
live have gone over the top on Germa