Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-01-30

snow melted as fast as it came
There was also just little snow the
morning we landed here. l do no
know what dust looks like over her,
for we never see any of it. The
ground is always muddy and it /.
seldom that we get chance to ever
here, though as it was near the coast
Boys who have been here quite /;
while say the weather is fine in the
summer time. But we all have rub
Der boots and raincoats to keep us
dry and we even have a few oil suits
which are rainproof and which we
can use il we have to work out in the
rain at any time. Just at present
however. my work is mostly inside
II the war were still going on we
would be out In the field repairing
but there isn't any of that work to
do now so we are i'll shop. The
country around here Is much more
hilly than any place have been in
France. Every hill has fort at the
top of 1t. haven't been around
much yet but / am going to try and
get q day off soon and take a long
hike ont over the country was
out almost an hour the other evening
and climbed one of the big hills near
the camp. / guess it was over a
quarter Of mile just as steep as
could climb. When l got to the top
there was some barbed wire entangie-
ments and an old fort built some
what on the style of the old feudal
castles one reads about in the books
such as Scott's IvanhOe. There was
the old stone wall and all around 1t
was a ditch which could be flooded
with water-not much of a protec-
ton, however, against the big 20
inch guns used now. The bridge ON
this ditch was fixed so it could be
drawn up from the inside. All over
this region there are old trenches,
dug outs and barbed wire entangle-
ments--never really used. but pre-
pared for an emergency. l mean to
see all of these before many days. I
guess ! haven't told about the camp
here yet We sure are a tickled
buch of kids as We have fine barracks
and had been knocking about quite a
months ago. We are just 2.5 kilo-
meters from TOul in barracks called
Jeanne dare Caserne (barracks.) 1t
is an old French cavalry camp which
the Americans now occupy as the
second army is scattered all around
here. We are living in fine stone
buildings. have a mess hall in one
end and wash room in the other.
Everything is dry and we are just
about as well of, as If we were home.
1t is only about 80 kilometers from
here to st. Mihiel where the big drive
was. The boys who were here when
the fighting was going on said 1t was
quite exciting. They used to have
air raids every night and there was
one German plane brouht down right
over the barracks we are in. They
said that they could see-the flashes OF
the big guns and the signal rockets
at night. Al times, especially when
the fighting was going on the fastest
they could hardly sleep at night as
the building would tremble so much
from the noise. I don't know wheth-
er I am lucky or unlucky that did
not get here soner
received the Christmas package
all right. II was waiting for me
when we got here. l also received the
letters addressed to Camp Mills and
today l got some dated De-
cember 3rd. was surprised to
hear about the flu breaking out again
there don't know but what am
just as safe here as there. There is
some typhoid and malaria but we
are vaccinated and have our shots
to prevent that 1 suppose the kids
are growing so fast ! Won't know
them when | get back. 1t hardly
seems like il has been almost eight
months since | was home. | guess il
has been more than year since
have been there to amount TO much
suppose some of the boys that are
getting discharged from the army
think themselves lucky but even at
that don't believe | would trade
places with them il could. have
started now and | don't mind il
see a whole lot of the country before
leave il. am getting to feel just
like a rover. OF course. We haven't
the least idea when we Will start to-
wards the U. s. We are attached to
the headquarters of the second army
and will probably move when it does.
II is rumored that 1t will be about
June. hope it is summer when
cross the ocean again. II won't take
us as long this time though. sun
pose about or days instead OF Is.
You were asking about my equip
ment. Well, I don't know whether
there is much to say. mean to get
my picture taken with my pack on II
can or course We have the over
seas cap. the regular olive drab uni
form, spiral leggins and two pairs OF
field shoes. The shoes have iron
pegs In them. We call them hob
nails. II isn't much fun walking
over the cobbestones with them. The
belt which we wear is a regular pis-
toll belt and fastened to this Is a first
aid pouch. two magazines. our can
teen and pistol holster 1--WE were new
er issued our revolvers. were suppos-
ed to get AS calibre autOmatics.) The
packs on the back contains all our
other articles. AN extra suit of under
wear. 3 blankets. a shirt. 3 pairs OF
socks. a shelter half and poles for
making a small tent, our toilet art
icles. mess kit and steel helmet. We
have not received our gas masks but
I understand we may have them is
sued to us to keep. The identifi
cation tags which l wear are two al
minimum plates about the size of a
half dollar. On one side is stamp
ed my name and U. s. A.. and on
the other is my army serial number
700S91. These are fastened to q
yard of tape four inches apart so that
one can be cut OFF and the other left
on One tag is always cut on by
the medical man who first picks one
up on the battlefield. wear this
around my neck. l do not have much
use for my sweater here. In fact
have not worn II very much so IL
looks as good as new. l guess that
I have writtpn about all I can thin L