Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-09-12
Our Soldier Boys.

RUSSELL higRe, 0DtH 70 oiu ASSi
ment, L. s. Marine Corps, writes that
he left base hospital at Vichy, France,
oil July 80. ~ had some clothes issued
me- after l had been there q few days
aud was able to get out several times.
1t certainly is u pretty town. | went
TO a French Theatre one night. The
music was good. These French people
certainly can sing. We are stopping
now at Movers waiting for another
train. ] am at a Red Gross Rest
Room, and have just finished eating
dinner, which | know WAS the best l
ever ate in my life. 1t was supposed
to be "a frame and a half, but ii you did
not have any money it was all the
same. Believe me, you'll never find
an outfit to beat the Red Cross" On
July 81 he reached St. Aignans. "This
is a camp where all the fellows come
from the hospitals to get clothes,
equipment, etc, before going back to
their outfits. 1t was just like boob
camp days Oh Paris Island at Quaran-
tine Station. After We got all our stun
| we went to the other side of the camp
and answered the anne questions al
most that we did when We enlisted.
We have to walk about a kilometer to
chow, but it is real good and lots OF 1t.
They have the largest and best Y. Nj.
{. a. ! have see in France. 1t Is
very hot here. Guess it is hotter than
it is further north, | am in good
health.n In a few days they loaded
their packs on trucks and they took a
three hours hike to a Marine camp.
lie says: ''This is a very pretty camp
here and we are taken care Of COM
fortably. The eats are good. We had
hot biscuits both mornings for break
fast. / have met a few fellows here
from my old replacement company
and two or three from my old boob
company. They are all here waiting
to Join their companies.' On August
IA he wrote: "We left the Marine
Camp we were in and after II Of
those awful rides on the French Rail-
road, and in box cars at that, arrived
at this place which is an army re-
placement camp. Reached here sun
day morning, August nth. We ex-
pect to leave here right away, and
here's hoping when we reach our
! destination this time our companies
will be there. 1t sure gets hot in the
. middle of the day around here, but il
cools off in the evening and usually
:, gets real cold at night. | am hoping
this will reach Papa on September 9Th
Here's TO a happy birthday for him
! and may l be with him on his next"
!. Harry Myers Kendall, Co. c, l01st
Field Battalion Signal Corps, write.
on August 9Th, from Somewhere il
France: "My particular outfit ha'
been in the fighting just n week les
than ak months. We are now be
, ginning a much needed and most wei
come rest. ! am due in Paris TO
forty-eight hours. have been owe
the top three times. There wer'
1 nineteen of us in my particular buncl
: and there are but six now. None ar
dead | am happy to say, but wer'
wounded, gassed and shell shocked
d For my share | got two bullet hole
through my clothes and a scratch il
the back froma piece of shrapnel.
C was also gassed. Was sick from tina
for an hour or so, but otherwise suf
fered nc bad effects from it. Two q
our fellows we're hit Il night Will
out repairing a line and eight of II
went out to bring them in. That wa
certainly n awful trip, dark as con!
Y be and the Boche Smelling that part q
j. the country all the time we were il
j. it. Another time four of us took
wounded man in through a heav.
Commandment. That is, we started
but on the way up to the first al
station we captured a Boche. The
met a fellow with another me-. 1t
needless to say we did not carry hif
further, but made the Boche carr
Z him the rest of the way. One of tn
fellows went along and bossed th
M lob with a forty five. One day durin
a fight / got separated from my un
lie and drifted into a hopping up part.
The duty of a mopping up party is
as go into dugouts after the Boches hay
been chased out and clean up whs
Il, few may be tagging behind to snip
some one Off when his back is turned
u, The method employed by the moppe
up is to stand outside the door AT
to veil come out. If no one answe
err they throw a couple of hand grenad'
in, then 90 in themselves. A few
.,e the dugouts had food in them that IL
Boches had left and you should 81
their bread. II is black and bitter
a ouinine. An ordinary slice weighs
,is pound. They also have some kind
stuff they make soup with. The sol
nd tastes something like beef broth. b
he is very weak and has not much nou'
ishment in it. These things | ha'
70 mentioned are things that happen'
n. outside of our regular routine"
The parents of lionel Hartzell II
~. week received five letters from hil
If. In them he tells how the 10Th F. +.
he lelt Bordeaux and made it's way to t
front lines. In his last letter dat
,is August 18th, he says: "Things a
Ter pretty interesting now. There
az plenty to break the monotony
camp life and keep us from growi
itb weary OF drill. The regiment has be
in action now for 8 several days and a
doing excellent work and 40 far
have had few casualties. The "squa
heads" are trying to locate good pc
tions but seem to be unable. 7
led band stays with the Supply Go.
ill., far, since We have been on the II
es, mediate front We have done q
es, guard at night. / receive the RE
IN. IsTEg regularly and appreciate sal
to- very much. We see some wonder1
of feats in aeroplane flying here. "
terdsy I saw an American aviator