Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-09-27
SOLDIERS LETTERS
Card of Thanks.

Camp Alexander,
New Port News, Va
Sept. 10Th, 1918.
Editor Tensas Gazette,
st. Joseph, La.
Dear Scott remember my prom
Use to write you, and will take just
few minutes at this time.
lam in one of the largest embark
alton camps i'm the United States. 1t
is located on the banks of the James
River. My tent is only about twenty
feet from the bank. wish all my
friends could see this camp. When
you look around out here you feel as
If we really are at war.
There are at present about 1900 ne
groes and 1000 white men in the camp.
The negroes are sent here from all
over the United States We equip
them for overseas them for sew
eral days and away they go. AS fast
as one battalion goes over there are
others to take its place.
Thought | would have to serve 90
days here before l could apply for q
commission, but have already passed
all of the examinations and my appli-
cation is on file i'm Washington. was
put in the Officers Training School
after had been here for a week. Was
made top Sergeant after l had been
i'm camp only ten days. My work 10
very hard but am getting used to it
and if do not have rheumatism this
winter think everything will be .. X ..
There is a school here that some of
the officers attend. After a given time
they get an examination for promo
ton. Will try to get into this school
when get my commission.
What do the folks at home think OF
the way the boys are scrapping on the
other side? I am crazy to get over
there. See New York paper every
day and the news sure reads good.
The big show at Chateau Thierry has
been on all the past week, and we are
all on tip-toe, watching the changes
in the map as fast as the bulletins
come in. Most of us are bemoaning
our luck because we are not over there
with them. Oh, you don't know what
difference it has made i'm the morale
of every one. Think they we're disap-
pointed at our slowness i'm getting
over, at the appearance, training and
equipment of our men. But now that
we have so many over there and so
many more ready and anxious to go,
and they have either seen or been
told how wonderfully our men fight,
why they are just beside themselves
with joy. The whole attitude OF the
officers of our allies has changed to-
wards us. We are now the thing! No
more suggestion that we are ''new
Corners" and are "green" at the game.
They listen and defer to our opinion;
they adopt our views-the people, the
papers, both British and French, they
now love US and believe in US, and we
are all in perfect accord and sympa-
thy. We are the big brother, the I'M
beatable, the "magnifique." We have
put our men in, lots of them raw and
tintried, but big, strong and resource
fnl young Americans, full of conf
dence in himself and his country, with
faith that right is on bis side, with
faith in his neighbor by his side. He
went i'm with his teeth set and Q de-
termination not merely to stop the
Boche but to lick him, and--believe
me-he is going to do it soon. No
matter what temporary reverses may
come the American soldier has got
the Boches' number!
We have a large embarkstion hos
pital here, where the wounded re-
turned from the front are cared for
before they are sent home. I have
talked to lots of them temporarily dis
abled, but you can see the future in
their eyes. One said to me last Sun
day, "Never mind me; they fixed me,
but its alright; we can lick him--we've
got his goat, he won't face our men;
he's licked and he knows it." That is
what those fellows say who have been
in the fight, been "over the top"
can feel exactly the American SOL
dier's state of morale. He sees big.
He feels big. He is big. He compares
every thing over there with his coun-
try and gives himself and his country
the best of it. His country has more
men, more money, more factories,
more resources, more modern meth
DDS and appliances.
have learned lots from talking to
the fellows from the front. I will feel
very proud when l get there myself,
and when / come back Tensas won't
be large enough to hold me. Wish I
could be there to help in the Liberty
Loan. Iguess that am doing big
ger and better work out here. Tell
all the boys to come across strong and
lets get this thing over.
Will always be glad to get copy
of the Gazette.
Yours truly,
H. w. MAY, JR.
f01 n