Arizona republican., 1918-05-26

Another story told by Mrs. James was that of a widow with two sons, both too young for war service. One of her boys. she said, had come to her and regretting his youth said that he intended to do all he could for the Red Cross and that he would con- tribute half a months salary to the local chapter and requested that his mother to the same. She made out a check to the Red Cross for S45.
 
 The canteen department of the Red Cross. Mrs. Sims Ely. chairman, will furnish box lunches for the 800 men leaving here Monday night for train ing camp. Not all the branches and auxiliaries were asked to contribute lunches owing to the distance from which they are located to the city. The committee in arranging that every boy be given a box has the coopera- tion of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the OrangeWood- Ramona club, the Madison Improvement club, and Red Cross workers of Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale, Glendale and Peoria.
 The local chapter of the Red Cross credits the Country club with $200, the proceeds of the Carnival of the Allied Nations; $132 from the auction sale of donated ring and $500 from a re. petition of the carnival of society wo- men at Riverside Park.
 A personal message from a soldier in the suicide squad has come into the hands of the Red Cross from Mrs. J. S. Gamble who is in correspondence with the writer: It follows: May II, 1918. | Mrs. J. s. Gamble.
 1 1911 West Adams St.
 | Phoenix, Arizona.
 Dear Madams:
 The writer was the soldier that re- ceived the magnificently made sweat CT you were kind and considerate enough to present through the Red | Cross. Many times the fineness of my sweater has been commented upon, so you will understand that I am mighty proud of it. It was very useful the first few days I was here, for it was quite cold for us who had come from a mach warmer climate, as you well know.
 Really do not know how to thank you for your kind courtesy nor how to show my appreciation other than by l lClilhS yOu SOlliclllllS Ol llle COllul- tions and doings at Camp Funston. if you so desire. Of course, I am de lighted to write you as requested and will be to do so again. My letters may not be interesting, but they should be by reason of the branch of the service I have been assigned to-the machine gun company. We are known here as the suicide squad, but it isn't as bad as that, for we have just as good a chance of coming back as anyone else and am sure that will Of course it is considered a dangerous branch of the service, and the general saying is You in the machine gun company seven minutes for you after you gel to the front" As our new machine guns shoot 400 bullets a minute, we will be able to do some damage befor, the expiration of our allotted time.
 Now, of course, We of the machine gun company are type not easily sus- ceptibre to being influenced or weak. ened by remarks, hence We go along ir our own way and get results. We dril : very fast. By that l mean that oul training is at a faster clip than tn, infantry. We march at 130 steps tt the minute whereas the infantry marcl r at the rate of 120 steps a minute. Tn work is very interesting and it is s very willing bunch of boys we hay with us. We expect to leave flo France in sixty days, but, of course there is nothing certain in the army i but the fact is that we are traininl with the expectancy of being in Franc by August
 l Now. I won't go into any more de tail for the present, but will awai 3 word from you as to whether or no I you are interested in the details c l camp life. So again thanking you fo your most useful and elegant present 1 am
 Yours respectfully, f (Signed) CHAS. W. MARTIN, ! 340th Machine Gun Company, f Camp Funston, Kansa!
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