The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1918-10-03
Letters From "Our Boys"


One of the most interesting and in
structive letters we have yet published
from local people is started this week.
I. is from c. P. Brunson to his wife Of
Monango. Mrs. Brunson was formerly
Miss Maude Lindersmith, we'll known
teacher of the county. The first in
stallment of the letter follows:
Agana, Guam, August 5, 1918.
am starting rather early writing
letters this month, but want to try
to give you little description of my
trip and sojourn in this far from won
fderful little Island of Guam.
Suppose you already know that I
left Mare Island May 5th. never will
forget it. There were, twenty-nine
privates and one sergeant for Guam,
and about forty men for the Philip
pines. We left the barracks at Mare
Island early Monday morning. Prob
ably the fellows we left there would
emphasize the early rather strongly,
as we took particular pains to wake
everybody up. A government tug car
ried us toNSan Francisco and We went
aboard the transport Logan" at
about 10 o'clock. was detailed for
guard duty the first thing, guarding
the gang-way. We weighed anchor
about noon, and of course we all hung
around on deck until the last sight of
land was gone. The sea was rather
rough, and along about three o'clock
Il can't explain it, you will have to
experience it) anyway I decided the
best thing for me and my pride was
to go below and hunt bunk.
The bunk in question was piece
of canvas laced in an iron frame just
wide enough. These hunks are in
tiers of three. selected top one
and crawled in. Slept fine, next morn
ing started to get up, but changed my
mind as soon as touched the deck
and didn't try it again until next
morning, and then decided still
needed rest, that night night sat up
long enough to eat an orange and a
few lemon drops. Next morning I
went up, with great difficulty and un-
certainty to breakfast but found the
chow such uninviting chow for a mar
inc in my state of mind and stomach,
that I only gave it the once over and
went to look for oranges and lemon
drops.
| If you ever take trip on the sea
he sure to provide yourself with lemon
drops and oranges: AS was going
to the canteen for the aforesaid fruit
and candy I passed by the second
cabin dining room. They were just
having breakfast. The sight and aroma
of good chow caused me to change
my course and stopped in and asked
for job. l got it, went right to work.
washing dishes. Gee. never saw so
many dishes in my life, but washed
them. A Filipino dried them, and
after all the second class folks had
eaten the Filipinos and me had our
turn. There were about six of them.
The food was excellent and there was
plenty of it. The next day got two
more of our bunch to help me, one
to dry dishes and one to wash glasses
and silver, kept the dishwashing
job all the way across. The food pro-
vided for soldiers on a transport is
absolutely not fit to eat. The boys
got together just after we left Homo
lulu and started on what you might
call hunger strike, anyway refused
to eat thereof and took a sample of
it to the officer in charge of us for
the trip. They had quite row about
it, the officers threatened to put every
man in prison who said anything
about the food for the rest of the
trip. They all bought things from
the canteen as long as their money
lasted, which wasn't long.
We arrived in Honolulu about noon,
May 14th, and left the next afternoon
at four. Everybody was granted lib
erty. I was a few minutes late on
account of the after dinner dishes.
Friend Boyd waited for me. and we
proceeded at once to that famous
beach. You've heard about it on the
phonograph. Boyd was quite disap.
pointed at the absence of the dreamy
eyed maidens he had heard about
so much, certain existing circum-
stances prevented me making any
( lamentations, but nevertheless any
way it was wonderful beach, and
the water was fine, until we decided
to try the surf boards, after that the
water wasn't so good, my board tried
to go ahead Of the waves instead Of
behind which resulted in my shipping
quantities of water. We went back
to town and engaged a room in the
| best hotel. the Alexander Young. You
see I was Boyd's guest financially. I
played guide and director of the exs.
pedition. Next morning we hired an
automobile for at least week but
they wouldn't let us use it but five
/, hours. Anyway we saw all the sights,
went to all the places Of interest. I
imagine Honolulu would be a nice
Il