The L'Anse sentinel., 1919-05-16
MARKLE WRITES INTERESTING
LETTER FROM GERMANY.
Coblenz, Germany,
April 10, 1919.

Dear folks:-
Suppose you have been wondering
how am getting along. am still
at the hospital, but will be going
back to my company any day now,
maybe day after tomorrow. My COM
pany has moved since ] have been in
the hospital and now they are over at
some small town across the Rhine
river. My arm is fine and dandy and
is just as good as it ever was, if not
better. In my last letter, if you got
it, told you about having my arm
broke, being kicked by a mule, and
would write as soon as was able.
l got letter from Ed Johnson
while ! was in the hospital. He got
my letter o. X. He said his division
was booked for to 60 home in March,
so guess his unit must be back in the
states by this time.
] guess US fellows that are in the
Regular army are out of luck for 60
ing home for while yet, and will
have to continue to watch On the
Rhine" for some time if they don't
sign up peace. Some of US fellows
might get back when they send them
$4,000 volunteers over here to relieve
the Army Of Occupation. They ought
to send some of them guys over here
to release US, especially them that
were so anxious to fight the Hun the
day the armistice was signed.
Everything is pie over here now
nice billets to sleep inn, good chow,
entertainments Of all sorts, same as
in the states. Inspections are kind of
severe, but that's nothing. One thing
is, you can't speak to none of them
German civilians or soldiers. They
put our men in the brig for holding a
conversation with them. Brig is the
word we use for Jail; no fraternizing
allowed. Some Of these Germans can
talk as good American as we can, be-
cause they have worked in the Unit
ed States for years.
Old Baraga will look funny to me,
III bet, when i get back, after seeing
so many towns over here. The seem
cry over here is beautiful, but give
me the good old u. S. A. any day.
You people over there are living in
a wonderful country, the land of plen-
ty, and still I'll bet the people are
kicking. They ought to be living in
Germany for one week only, and they
would soon change their minds. These
people over here fought up until they
didn't have anything left, and even
their substitutes ran out, and they
could substitute almost anything.
They run their automobiles just with
the bare iron wheels-no rubber tires
no leather, no sugar, (they have
some kind of chemical substitute
fer sugar. no soap, no butter, horse
meat is used the most and is consid-
cred swell dish; no oils or grease,
no -four. There is only one thing
l see they have plenty Of, and that is
potatoes, and lots of them, and they
can cook them up and fix them up in
a good many different ways.
People in the states can't imagine
what country looks like that is all
broken down from big war. Believe
me, i wouldn't want to see our coun-
try in that kind of shape.
Did I ever tell you in my letter
about the time ! left the u. S. A.?
/ don't believe l did. We left Hobo
ken, New Jersey, on the 9th day of
May, 1918, noon time, and arrived in
Brest, France, on the 23rd day of May,
IL a. m. Fourteen days on the ocean,
and hope I'll never put in another
fourteen days going back. Lnever
was sick all the way across, but saw
a good many seasick boys on that trip.
There were Ia transports in the con-
voy, and we had one battleship with
s,and when we were about four days
out from France the torpedo boat
destroyers picked us up, and as soon
as they picked US up the battleship
turned around and went back to New
York. About fifteen torpedo boat
destroyers were our guardian angels
for them four days and they took us
right up the channel into the harbor
of Brest. Out about sixty miles from
shore the aeroplanes met US and kept
circling around watching for submar-
ines. How the fellows did shout when
they seen land.
! have been on three fronts-Chat-
eau Thierry, st. Mihiel and the Meuse-
Argonne, and guess l have seen all
the hell / want to see, and when !
think of what has happened to- my
comrades, / consider myself very
lucky to get only broken arm. That's
considered as nothing in the army.
Our regiment was cited six times for
bravery and at our last big inspec-
tion our regimental flag was decorat-
ed with the Croix de Guerre, the only
regiment in the whole division, the
old 39th Infantry, receiving this dec