Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-02-12
HIGHLY CoMMENDs THE y. NJ. c.

HIGHLY COMMENDS THE y. NJ. c. A.
AND K. C's.
IBy Captain c. E. Buffers, Ia7th Sanitary
Train A. f. F., Army of Occupation, Say1.
Germany, JanuaIy 4.
Dear Otto Brown: Your letter of November
Isth reached me with a big batch of delayed
mail on Christmas day and went far to making
the day a happy one. Now the general ran
oil news ever here you can get frcn the papers
and so viii cOnfne this letter to the subject
you speak of-the y Nj. c. A. and Il. C's ard
kindred organizations. One vivid picture
stands Oufae-A II Nj. c. 4. worker, Presby-
terrain preacher from the east somewhere,
small of stature with wOman's voice. stayed
continuously for over ten days in cur re-
ceiving ward tent at MontfaneOn during the
last drive being made b. our division, with
boxes of chocolate candy, and cookies and
cigarettes, and as the ambulances backed up
and the wounded were brought in he was the
first man there giving each soldier a cake o;
chocolate, package of cookies and some cigar
cites. ! he never left that tent for
the ten days. He muddy and dirty and
unshaved. He slept, what little he slept. on
the ground with his clothes Shells burst
at times dangerously near. Three men were
killed within 100 yards of him, others got into
dug0uts but during all that trying time with
out a word or murmur, he was there TO help
brighten some wounded mans way before the
operating table or the fast growing cemetery
near by found him. l don't even know his
name, but l do know that this one Rirlish-Ii e
preacher was worth all the money that the
\. M c. A. expended for his benevOlences
many times over.
les We nedfu q tOI OF cFilfciSm, DuT MOTH
ing that / have has warranted it. Back
of the lines the " NJ. C. A. has charged for
their goods a reasonable, not exhOrbitant price.
They have been successful, if not more so
in getting the various kRicknacks the soldier
likes, than the sales commssary run by the
army itself. Their huts and recreation rooms
and stationary have been absolutely free and
always full of soldiers. They have had good
entertainers give free shows right up TO the
firing lines. yes they have gone over the top
with the boys and been killed and wounded in
doing their duties They have had to compete
with the Red Cross, whose funds allowed them
to give whatever they had and never charge
for ANYTHING. The Red Cross work was very
noticeable around the hospitals. They have
had a fine business organization and even now
were it not for the Red Cross our SICK men
would suffer- for the food that sick men need
Our hospitals get such extra dainties as can
ned soups, canned fruits, butter, cookies, Oat-
meal, canned milk and like articles of food
that the army does not furnish. The work
of the Y. VI. C.. A. and X. C's is along a diff
ferent line and reaches the men on the front
lines much at the hospitals. I don't
know what pay the secretaries get and don't
care, ! do know though that as a whole they
have done a fine work and a work that is
greatly appreciated by the large majority of
the soldiers. Your money has been well in
vested when il went to the Y. M. c. A. and
kindred organizations. With best regards 70
your parents, wife and Ben's folks.