The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-16


 stationed at Chaumont since December 1, has written the following. letters on some of his observations:
 December 6, 1918. G2b, c.
 H. Q. A. E, F., France.
 Somewhere in France.-This some where stuff good while it lasted is iE the discard now. The well-known cen- sor has caved in and without so much as by your leave any doughboy can en- ter the literary field and reveal his hiding place over in la Belle France. Mine for the present is a pretty French town by the name of Chaumont, in northeastern France. Chaumont has served as the great general headquar- ters of the American expeditionary forces since our entry in the war. It's great place. Some cl the officers who have been interned here for a year and a half still admit that it is not half bad.
 Of course if you addressed letter to Chaumont it would never get here This burg goes under several numeri- cal aliases. What is the good of war and secret services unless you make things appear very mysterious? No, sirree Bob to get Chaumont or any other French town you must know the combination of the safe. That's
 
 guarding our secrets, and whole flock of others inventing new secrets. It's a great game and provides excuses for existence for ever so many colonels and everything.
 But have no intention to dwell on the beauties of Chaumont, which are manifold and very interesting, but on the devious routes which finally brought me here. It's tale of the s. O. S., which to the uninitated means nothing, but to those who have been caught in it's meshes it reevals chap ters of discomfort and uncertainty and other things.
 JOKE ABOUT S. o. s.
 The other night while some gay spirit was humping at the piano of the off : cers hut of the 'Y,'' I caught the fol- lowing words of a song:
 Mother, take down the service flag Your son is in the S o. s."
 That is rank libel on the loyal men who served in the S. O. &, which are but it indicates the good natured toler- ance the doughboys have for this branch of the service. Although to admit the truth, if it were not for the s. o. S.. the boys would not have been fed their bully beef and gold fish y. But it is granted that the s. o. s. fur nished the supplies. It is the way in which they handled casual officers that brings on the captious comment any time the subject is brought up.
 We arrived at Brest one morning in early November, escorted by a flock of planes. The scene was beauteous, and Majors Fonville and Ashworth and Lieut.. Cecil Gaston of Birmingham ad- mitted that they were thrilled. We got off in barges and soon landed. On the Ryndam, which was our ship, we had t@asted of being staff officers with ders to report directly to the commanding general of the American expeditionary forces and had affected rather a superior air. We were going to Paris-pronto. And then we would report to G. H. Q. whenever it was deemed advisable and our financial condition indicated that the country atmosphere was the proper thing. An, but the S. o. S., ruffled that dream out of existence quick.
 Near the dock in Brest we saw a ] large sign which read: Casual off cers, register here" We saw no harm in that, and waltzed in. We were greeted by an amiable "shavetail," who registered us with a smirk and ordered us to wait until the truck came. We were informed that we would be given a ride to Fort de Bor- guen, where we would be billeted