Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-03-26
HANS C. REVIVE
WRITES FRIEND
Sends Very Interesting Letter From
France and Tells About His
Work Over There
is in SERVICE
AND SUPPLY co.
Says An Engineers Life i'm the
Army is an Interesting One
With Plenty of Work
st. Julian, France.
Feb. 8, 1919
Friend Susie:

Friend Susie:
Received your welcome letter of
: Jan. 13 so will answer it this even
ing. 1t is Sunday evening at that
end being that my attention has not
been devoted to any of these charm
ling French madamsoilles yet L don't
think that shall go out and mingle
with the fairer sex, so will pass the
time away as pen pusher. Am glad
to hear that you folks are all well
and that the Spanish flu has left
fl ON your threshold. But understand
that it is still raging around in GER
tain parts of your country, but hope
that it will soon be stopped am
feeling fine and dandy and have es-
capped bad colds, grippe and all such
things that seeks entrance into ones
constitutions on these cold wintry
days, but then we know there will
ALWAYS come time, and mine might
come any time. We sure are having
cold weather now, but no snow. A
couple of days ago it was raining,
and also showing, some mixture.
Next day it was clear sky and cold,
ground frozen and consequently
real taste of winter weather, but
then it's healthy weather, so we
should worry. 1t isn't raining, be-
cause raining in France is no joke,
whenever it gets that notion. We
lave lots Of wood for our tent stove,
/; Sc we have it nice and warm and
plenty of good clothing. Have been
staying in camp all day. This after
noon l wrote letter to Dorothy, so
expect that she will be getting hers
at the same time you get yours. 1t
is not SO bad to write in the even
ings now, because We have electric
lights in all the tents, mess hall,
garage and barns and also the black
smith shop The time the other COM
rany was here and the saw mill was
, in operation they had electric lights,
had to have them. OF course the mill
was running day and night, but when
we tore the mill down there was no
power to run it, because the light
engine was run by steam. Now We
have gasoline engine running the
dynamo.
You asked me in one letter if l
| To
No. have never had the opportunity
to go there. There We're few of the
boys out of this company that had a
chance to go, but they were truck
drivers who were driving at the time
of the big drive when every truck
and driver were needed to rush sup
PLIES to the fighting forces. The fact
is one cannot get transfer from one
Engineer Co. to an Infantry Co. be-
cause it's lower branch OF service.
There are only&a few branches or
service higher than Engineers SER
vice, but an Engineer branch is
high enough for me at present. We
were close enough though to hear
the cannons roar. We could hear
them all day and sometimes all
hight, but we never did see any
active fighting service. Some Engin-
Ger companies are at the front tho,
land ahead of the infantry building
roads and bridges for the infantry
and cavalry to pass over, but then
they cannot all be at the front, Tine
Iboys at the front need assistance
from the rear, because if they did
not get it their services would be
useless and at the same time utterly
helpless. The work We have been do
ing has consisted mostly OF cutting
wood and logs and saving lumber
and now we are hauling the wooo
; out of the forests up to the main
highways and to the narrow gauge
railway where it is hauled in French
| cars where it is shipped to the Q. Nj
C. and distributed to the troops al
over France.
. We are in what they call the .
o. s. or Service of Supply, and De
long to the 20th Engineers, the larg
est organization of it's kind in th'
world. At the time we were a
, Washington and also a short TOM
. after our arrival in France we were
2 classed as road and bridge pattai
| lion, but were later on changed u
the Forestry Division at which W
have been working at ever since '"
got here. / worked at wood cuttin'
for about two months and worked a
the saw mill for about three months
After working in the saw mill wa
along logging for while until ina
was finished and then started II
loading wood on the skids that ar
ased for transporting the wood U
the railway. At the present time
am skinner, or teamster as yo'
would call it, taking the place OF an
othor how who was sick with a Da'