The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-02-07
LETTERS FROM THE
BOYS IN ARMY CAMPS

Rennes, France, January IA, 1919
Mr.. o. NJ. Hatcher, Mankato, Mimi
Dear Sir: Received your letter of De-
cember II this morning and was
pleased to hear from you. AS long
as I've been in France | haven't had
the opportunity to see any of the boys
from the shops or from Mankato, SO
you know ! don't know any of them
with the exception of the boys in our
own outfit. Just returned last Friday
night from seven day furlough at
st. Mario. It's on the northwestern
coast of France. They were the hap
piest seven days I've spent FOR long
while. While on my trip have seen
many interesting things too numerous
to mention. Will let you know about
that trip when / get home. If there
ever will be safe arrival for me, as |
hope there will be, / certainly will
have two or three months vacation
before l intend TO work, unless some
thing out of the ordinary turns up
which will compel ME to work.
The boys of our outfit who are
working in the shops, are working
hard to get the rest of them back. so
that we may have a chance to get
home. OF course, it takes time to
move all these troops and some of us
must stay here to do this work, so
these troops can be moved.
You were saying that you are in
creasing your working force now.
What will it be when all the other
boys get back? You certainly must
have lots of work according to that
letter received today. Well there is
plenty of it for us, before we leave
thic country.
The people back home have an i'm
preston, that this is a nice country.
Well. all have to say is this: Ii they
want to find out what it's like let them
come over here and find out for them
selves. The climate over here is wet,
and damp. so you know what we have
to contend with. If man ever catches
a cold here you certainly have job
of it to break away from 1t.
How did the flu effect Mankato?
I've noticed in the paper that in COM
parison there were more deaths in
the states than there were in the
A. F.. +. Well so far I've been lucky.
There were only 1.-TWO days when l
was sick. l had the cramps or the
stomach and that was due to the food,
the cooks forgot to prepare it prop
erly and they gave it to us hald done:
After they've been bawled out sew
eral times by the officers, well then
il began to come little better.
We have to work Sundays as well
as week days and we get one day OF
a week. That day is mostly spent IN
cleaning and washing your clothes.
AS for the few francs a man gets over
here, well they don't last any longer
than a snow ball in hell. Everything
YOU buy is about five times the price
now, as it was before the war. About
the only things a man can buy rea-
sonably over here is what you can
buy through the @. NJ. c.
The French people are under the
impression that the American soldiers
got beaucoup money, in other words,
they are millionaires. The American
soldier gets a few cents more day
than any other soldier. They sure
take the chance and rob us as long
Las they can.
Well, as far as going home IS con-,
cerned / think our outfit is out OF
luck for awhile. / got an idea we
are hung up in this country for about
six monthe longer. The twenty first
of January will be six months we are
over here, and of course, that will
mean to sew a service stripe on our
left coat sleeve. Believe me the
French girls are the girls that know
how to pick out the Americans. The
most of them look for the boys that
come back from the front. Those are
the boys with the beaucoup francs.
Some of them have as much as
nine months pay in one shot.
Well there are not any of them yet,
that | ever saw that ] would take in
place of an American girl. The Amer
lean girl was good enough for me
when left and they will be whole
lot better and dearer to me, when
get back.
Well, the time is getting short and
must close for this time. Hoping
this letter reaches you in the best OF
health, and bess regards to everybody
remain yours respectfully, Private
Nicholas F. KunZ, Company, p. sixty
first r. T. c., American E. F. France
via N. Y. City.