Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-05-20
PROUD AMBITIOUS
SPIRIT BROKEN"
so WRITES REV. CARRIER
FROM GERMANY WHERE
HE is WORKING

From Coblenz, Germany, the Pilot
has received letter which the many
friends of the Rev. w. o. Carrier,
former pastor of the Presbyterian
church of this city and now in Y. M.
G. A. work across the Atlantic, will
welcome. The letter follows:
Coblenz, Germany,
April 30, 1919.
To Editor of the Pilot,
Wausau, Wis, U. S. A.
My dear Mr. Thayer:
Some weeks ago l sent you a letter
from Eastern France, which you were
kind enough to publish. l am now
writing from the enemy's country.
1t is a great thing to be here with
the American army, behind the battle
line, on German soil and have the free
use of German homes and ride free
upon the railroads, control the terri
tory and see the stars and stripes float
ing over public buildings and to know
that we are the conquerers of this
once great formidable foe and her
proud, ambitious spirit is broken.
l have been now for more than two
months with the Army of Occupation
with headquarters in Coblenz. / was
for a week with the 32nd Division and
spoke nine times there, and met a good
many Wisconsin men, several of whom
were former students of Carroll Col
lege One day we had little reunion
at Sayn. This Division is largely
made up of Michigan and Wisconsin
men. They are now on their way
home and will be there ahead of this
letter. They were happy lot when they
began to move, and the old ocean will
look good to them and home will be
heaven for a time at least.
I was a month with the Goth Divi-
sion, in the beautiful valley of the
Moselle River and on the mountains
about Daun and Gerolstein. These
men from Texas and Oklahoma were
great fighters and I had delightful
| time with them, speaking over thirty
times to great crowds of soldiers, anC
| no men are more thoughtful and at
entive than these American soldiers.
| have now been four weeks with
the 1st Division, with Divisional head
quarters at Montabaur, some twelve
miles from Coblenz. The country is
wonderfully beautiful with its grea
wooded hills and mountains and ricl
fertile valleys and plains. The roads
are ideal and / have my own auto, will
a soldier chauffeur and | am direct
ing and making engagements for sew
eral times a week myself. l can reacl
any part of the division in less thar
forty-fve minutes and here we hav'
Inow 1000 men, with eighty-one posts
| These men were the first to COM
over; they have been in most of th
big battles and always brave. OWN;
to deaths and casualties, their replace
lments have been 110 per cent, and the,
are kept here on the front line farth
est east into Germany. They are eX
perienced, and tried fighting men, an
are so thoroughly organized that il
Fifteen minutes they can be called t
action and on the move farther int
Germany.
They want to go home. Most O
these men are wearing three gold bar
for more than eighteen months O
overseas service. They are good fel
lows, and l am having a splendid tim
with them. l hope July will see ther
going home, with their work done
The men are well provided for, wit
good army food and sleeping in tn
best beds Germany has, but is is a
unsatisfactory life for men who ar
ambitious to get back into bushes
life.
1t is very interesting to live her
and study the habits and customs c
this people. A large per cent of tn
best men, from sixteen to forty wer
killed; a large number of the wome
wear mourning. The people are yer
respectful to the Americans, and /
] not think it is a propaganda. Thes
common people have been mislead an
wrongly educated. Fraternizing is fol
bidden, but the people are learnin
much from the Americans in the
homes.
The Y. NJ. c. A. is doing a gre;
| work over here, but like all huma
| organizations, they have made SON
| mistakes in trying to carry out such
large program. These are wonderful
history-making days and we must
calm and patient 1t is great to
| living, and | am glad for my exper
ence here. Yours truly,
III w. o. CARRIER.