The Mankato free press., 1919-02-07

HlIIM fkUm DUIS
IN The ARMY CAMPS
Mrs. Robert M. Jones OF Butternut
Valley received the following letter
from her son, David Jones.
Herschbwich, Germany. January
1, 1919. Dear Mother and all: AS |
haven't heard from you for some time
I'm going to write you to see if you
are alright or not. do hope you are.
Well, mother, it's your birthday today
and we are far apart, but l think I'll
be with you next year sure. You
might think that we didn't do some
fighting, we sure did. This old 4th
division has done her part. l was in
the big drive of last July Is when
they started on the Chateau Thierry
front. Was twenty days under
shell fire and then on the Verdun
front in September. Went over the
top at $50 a. m. September rs, 1918.
Was on the line there till October
19, so you can see that I've done my
part. Pm carrying back a bullet
mark on my knee Oh we'll can tell
you the whole story when | come
home 1t will take me month to
tell it all as it is great and
sad story. lost some of my best
friends in the company in those two
battles / was in, but nevertheless we
whipped them and whipped them a
IL cln
of the softest beds you have ever
seen, mud and water. But at that |
was in good health all the time, only
was kind of tired at times. Oh yes |
never told you where we landed, 1t
was at Brest, France. Was on the
boat from May till May 25, only 16
days or the boat coming over the
rolling sea. Well mother / haven't
written to Mary Jane for two weeks.
will write to her some of these
days. Well l hope it won't be long
before can be with you and how
good it will be to put my feet in under
mothers table, again. Well mother
must close now. l will write you soon
again. l hope these few lines will
find you all well as am at present.
With love, David.
The following letter was written
by J. G. Olmstead, formerly of Garden
City, now Y. NJ. C. A. secretary at
Camp Paul Jones, Ill.
Camp Paul Jones Y. NJ. c. A. Feb
ruary /, 1919-Dear Sir: l miss writ
ing the Garden City items for you
each week, hut will write you now
what may prove of interest. I have
been here four weeks today and have
been busy enough to keep me out of
mischief. The "Y" certainly has big
proposition in this, the largest Naval
station in the world. There should be
135 secretaries here all told and there
are but 110 at present. Camp Paul
Jones has the 18th and 18th regi-
ments to look after with two buildings
about a block apart. The full force
here should be nine secretaries and
we have been running with but six.
Yesterday another came which will
help some. We ooften have 600 or 700
men at our nights programs, and they
are some live boys. Ny work is that
of social activity secretary. There
is about one night in the week that
am not supposed to have part,
that is Monday. Tuesday night is a
siEg followed by movies. Wednesday
is concert night Thursday is relig-
ious night when I am in charge of
music. Friday is stunt night jointly
between the physical secretary and
myself. Saturday night another sing
and movies. Then there are all kinds
of duties during the day, such as
keeping your room in order, helping
keep the main building in shape, run
ming errands, lining up talent, sing
ing the hospital, ETC. The camp mu-
sic director has organized quartet
including myself. We rehearse quite
often. have the first tenor part.
m glad to have my family so near
me in Waukegon. They are very
comfortably situated. 1t only takes
me about Is or 20 minutes to reach
them by electric car, five cent fare.
l enjoyed my birthday dinner with
them January 81. There is a constant
change among the Jackies. Hun
dreds go out each day now and others
come iE as recruits. One lot came in
lately with 65 boys so much under
age that they were rejected and sent
home. The "Y" man has all kinds of
things come up for his advice. Home
matters, desire for release, love af-
fairs, wanting to borrow money, etc.
The main point is to maintain GER
tain feeling of respect from the boys
and yet rot seem hard boiled to
them. | shall try to find time to write
you again if this proves interesting
to you.
Miss Olive F.. Olson has received
the following letters from her brother,
Carl E. Olson, Sixteenth Infantry, A.
E. F.:
Germany, December %, 191S.-Dear
Folks:-Don't you ever write any
more? Or am l not getting the let
ters. 1 received one today dated
October 29, two months old. Suppose
you know by this time that we are
in Germany. 1t was rather an inter-
esting trip although it was cold and
rainy most of the time. The last
front we came from was Argonne,
and a terrible scrap took place there;
then the Germans had to retreat and
finally the armistice was signed Then
we hiked to Verdun; from Verdun we
went to several little towns before