Williams news., 1919-01-03
FATHERS LETTER
(By Lyle MeLean)

a day ahead because tomorrow
 may be moving day and 1 think
 this time it will be somewhere
 in Belgium instead of France.
 I am kinda doing what the
 old addage says, Don't put
 off till tomorrow what you can
 do to-day" although don't be-
 lieve in it, in the army anyway.
 We are now at Longruy, France. You will find it in the north western part of France near the Belgian border.
 In honor of Dads Xmas Let ter" the censors have removed their whiskers and taken off the glasses, also thrown their shears in the waste basket and will let us tell a few things.
 We'll. I will tell you about liv- ing in France and a few things but I can't tell you anything about going over the top or be- ing shct at, but in our line of business we have done our bit and in great danger, at times.
 I guess you know when I landed in France. We'll, 1 was in the $. O. s. Service and Sup ply" Idid stevedore work, that's what I summed it all up at. l suppose I shouldn't have kicked about doing that be- cause that is winning the war but I didn't crave that kind of work and wanted to get on the front as truck driver or doughboy, anything to get away. We'll, I kicked until I got kicked out and I was sure tickled. have been in the SUD- ply train about month and a half. While on my way to the train saw the city of Verdun from a hill four kilometers back. We tried to get into the city but the Frog .(French) sentries would not let us be- cause the road, railway and town were under fire.
 Our next place was the Champagne front. We were camped at place called Suip- pc At this place the Second Division started the Boches on their big retreat. The French crack troops, "The Blue Dev. 1ls tried to take hill three times and failed and the second went in and put over a barrage that no living thing could live Tn, then they went over the top and gained that objective in an hour and half. It has been rumored that all the Germans that held the line were yolun- teers to that front because it was a vital point. It was the Hindenburg line and if there ever was shot up country that line IS one place that there isn't 1 a piece of dirt left unturned and the land for a stretch of several kilometers wide that | will never be farmed again The earth is only thin crust about three feet thick and be- heath the dirt is white chalk. i The white chalk is all on ion now. The road was mined in several places and torn all to | pieces by shells. The towns were all laid low. We were in several towns that the Boches didn't have time to blow up so they were burned and were still burning when we went in them Refugees were coming thru thick and they were sure hannv
 All of them that were reieas- ca Tn that part Of the country were sure surprised. They did not know much about the war ana all the American soldiers oelng there.i Our division was a11ached to the French army. The refugees hardly knew an American soldier:
 our next move was to the verdun front in the Argonne forest Where the last big drive started. :.,.s N -'o
 The drive started at 4 a. m NOV IA few hours before the oarrage started we were m pretty close to the line. We were running directly back of i. our artillery and we got run, ont or there by a.. colonel .iustaas5 quick as we we'teonld.unfoad and get out. The Boches were try