Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-01-09

suggestion of that, for it means not
less than 10 or Is days extra time, per
haps weeks, nothing much to do. and
afterward fellow must begin his 2l
days in "D' camp all over again. Most
Of us don t get there.
The "Y" hut is crowded to the limit
every night, and a fellow can hardly
find a time of day when he dOesn t
have to wait his turn at any Of the
writing desks. Ink bottles are set in a
wooden block and fastened down with
screws. That $ why l use this pencil
mostly-will certainly get me a foun
tain pen when ] get out where / can
bay it. We can't buy much of any
lhing here in sd" camp except candy
or tobacco. There are two canteens, and
according to their prices business should
be very profitable. Am getting so l like
cardy as well as any of them.
We can see or hear program at the
4" y " each night, or a picture show, ex-
cept Saturday night which is quiet
night and we write home or to cher"
It would swell you all up with a
great big "Happy" to see this bunch
strle evening. Hear 'em sing good old
time songs, and newer songs too-tho
kind that swing chap all the way home
ard back again, They ID start tears thru
your happicst smile and you wouldn t
reed to feel ashamed or explain
There's little girl, Miss Kritt, ]
think, that comes out from town each
Wednesday evening to lead us i'll a
"sing" What a jolly time she leads
us. is just as quietly at homo here too
as though every fellow of us was her
Lfotner. She's genial, we like her.
Are you wondering how they treat
rs, and how we like it2
You have big share of life in the
navy for US so far. When / tell you
that it s just one long "line-up" after
another, except when we sleep. We had
to line up at the Portland recruiting
office, took us a day to get through
the routine there. It's been almost the
same thing ever since. They keep us
falling in or out of ranks here from
morning till night. At night we sleep
four boys to a tent in little square.
One man S head to his tent mate S
feet They line us up for general as
sembly twice or three times a day, for
meals three times a day, and for medi-
cal examinations two or three times
day. Each one means an hour, hour
and a half, two or two and half hours
perhaps, standing lined up, especially at
meal times The island was, or rather
"DD camp was originally intended to
accommodate about 800, the rest of us
$500 must make the best of it. We get
good warm eats though, served cafeter-
Ia style, and plenty of hot coffee, hot
chocolate two or three times n week,
with milk and some sugar in it. They
start us in one door, each man grabs
tray, slides it along while six or eight
husllies throw plates, bowls, cups, cut
lery, spuds hash, cabbage, wienies, but
teer, bread, mush, apples, soup, etc, at
that tray. If anything comes too live
ly its up to fellow to catch it or go
without We're getting to be expert
pitchers and catehers.
Now and then we get good old mnce
pie and twice week real ice cream.
We like it in mid-winter.
No we don get all those things at
one meal. Sometimes when | haven t
something less interesting to write III
copy our weekly menu. 1t looks fine on
paper. Dishes are washed in an elee'
tric dishwasher, Never wiped.
A few Of us kick lot because we
like after all we re pretty well
treated,
Here S only a suggestion-nothing
looks better to one of us than letter,
let anybody write it.
I'm finding my writing set about the
handiest bit of my ''sailor's outfit )
but Just now it is in my sea bag at the
tent, a half-mile up the hin.
Yours cordially and sincerely,
Kenneth Miekey.