The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1919-01-14
TELLS OF TRAVELS
IN sunny FRANCE

Letters from the soldier boys un-
doubtedly tell an important part of
the story of the Great War. The Sill
yer State is glad to present another
one to its readers. Each soldiers let
ter presents a different viewpoint of
war. The following is from a we'll
known Winnemucca young man, Joe
Kubicek, a brother of Mrs. Frank Oil
verius, and a former clerk in the
Eagle Drug Store:
Iseghem, Belgium, Dec. 1, 1918.
Dear Brothers, Sisters, and the rest:
Well, it has been some time since you
have heard from me, the reason for
which will be better explained when
| get back home. To begin with, we
came over on the big liner Olympic
(~sister ship of the Titanic). The first
day we had a convoy. but after that
were alone until the day before ar
irving in Southampton, England. 1t
is a fast boat and only took us seven
days to make the trip.
Well, we stayed there a day and got
on a better boat across the channel
to C~herbourg, France. While coming
over the accommodations were not the
best, but outside of that the trip was
fine. Did not see a Sub" the whole
way yer. We stopped at C~herbourg
five days, then left by train for ST.
Nazaire, France Ga little farther down
the coast). We were there just about
four weeks when we left for Nogent,
France, which is fairly close to
Switzerland (the long trip which /
spoke of. There we were billeted
(housed in houses, barns, hay barns,
sheds, etc.. OF course it doesn't make
any difference which you draw, since
the barn is in one half of the house,
and then, too, every building is made
of stone.
There ten days. Started out at 8
o'clock one night for the front in a
downpour of rain and pitch black.
We marched until 4 am, when we put
up for the day in a thick woods,
soaked to the skin and oh! how tired.
Half of the men just put their packs
up against a tree, sat down on them
and went to sleep. Others spread
their blakets in this wet brush and
rolled in that way.
Well, it rained all that day, and at
9 pm. We started out again. 1t was
sc dark and sloppy that we had to
take hold of hands to keep together.
We did that for five nights straight.
when we finally got to the front
Argonne Forest-just a few miles west
of Verdon There's, where we stayed
in the woods for four or five days,
when a bunch of us drivers was
transferred to the ssh. ambulances
(these were fellows who came
over at the beginning of the war;
we're attached to the French govern
ment, but later were taken over by
the United States government again).
Well, these were Ford ambulances,
and in three or four days the big drive
was on. What happened the next
nine days I cannot tell you until ]
get home; but we spent nine sleepless
nights and days lodging shells, etc.
Nine days and nights which I never
shall forget! People that have not
had the experience do not realize
what it means to be bombed, gassed,
etc. No question but what this war
was the biggest ever pulled off, and do
not believe anyone will see another
like it again.
Well, since l came out of it lucky
I am sure glad l was there, since it
is estimated that but one out of every
twenty-five men have seen the front;
so it will be some satisfaction to say
l was there, though the close calls
were many At the end of the ninth
day we (the N~inety-frst division)
came out and went into reserve for
the st. Mihiel sector. From there we
marched back to Barley Due. There,
we drivers came back to the company
and the following morning went after
u own ambulances.
We entrained and went to Paris;
stayed there a day and a night; saw
Eifel tower (as the French say, la
Tour Effel), "and everything"-ha, ha!
Yes, it was only a day and a night,
but we sure made some time. AS we
got off the train one of the fellows
asked me if was going with anyone
in particular, and if he could go along
with me. He was a professor in Cali
fornia, but a young. live kid. He is
one of these fellows that you can
blindfold, ride around any large city,
fV.rn him 1aOcn anI he uiIl ~ IL ,,~1k |