Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1919-01-10
CRESCO, HOWARD COUNTY, IOWA, FRIDAY JANUARY TO- 1919
An Interesting Letter from france.

Private Geo Herpelinck. of 4Sth Co.,
goth Engineers. under date of Nov. Gath
writes most interesting letter to his
father, Bruno Herpelinck as follows:
II now have an opportunity to write
to you and let you know where l am
and what am doing at the p esent
time and in fact nearly all the expert
ences l have had since coming to
France. Now that the war is over and
the Huns badly whipped we can tell
you little more news.
We left Hoboken, N. j., on the 2lst
of May on one of the biggest boats in
the world, the Leviathau, formerly the
German ship "Vaterland' and it sure
is floating city. After eight days on
the ocean, we landed in Brest, France,
after running fight with submarines
which lasted about five hours. They
weren't going to let US get across, but
when one of their subs flew to pieces
ike adjusted barrel they changed their
minds. We stayed in big American
camp just outside of the city of Brest
for week and every day we saw
thousands of soldiers come in of every
there is. There is where
we got the hardest guard duty in
France. We did almost every kind of
work, even unloaded ships in the har-
Dor.
When we left Brest l travelled all
over France and was sent to Lens, near
Chateau Thiery, and WAS there at the
time the Marines had the big battle
with the Germans. The ground just
trembled from the explosions of the big
guns. was on guard that night.
After staying there about month /
was sent to a place near the Alsace
front and was there when the Ameri-
cans started the big drive there. l
saw an aeroplane battle in the sky
there that l will never forget.
About October the first I was trans
ferred to a forestry unit of the twen-
tieth engineers which is the largest
regiment in the world, and sent here
to the Swiss border st Vaux where !
am at present working in : saw miitir
the pine, forests. We are in the foot
hills Of the Alps mountains. can
look over into Switzerland any time
The border IS guarded at III times. We
can 80 Mount Blanc q the distance
viii NOV papl u d d
This is just to tell you Of where
we've been sent. l could tell you con.
siderable more of what went through
in the past seven months but it would
take too much writing and I expect 10
be back home in the course of three
months and tell you of it better than I
could write it.
How are you all by this time, l am
getting along fine. I still have the
splints on my hand yet, it is coming
out good. I am now sporting a gold
service stripe on my sleeve which sig
nifes six months in foreign service and
l expect to get blue one also before
l get home.
We are now quartered in barracks it
is more like camp life back in the
states, instead of sleeping on the
ground in pup tent.
This is Xmas letter which we were
all asked to write by the Y. NJ. c. A.
and Red Cross units. They are GER
tainly doing great work lover here. "
OF course we haven't had the oppor-
tunity to get as much benefit of them
as the doughboys, but they have rem
dered great assistance to us.
I hope this finds you all we'll and
wish you all Merry Christmas and a
Happy Near Year.