Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-01-29
DON HAUCEN NOW
IN GERMANY
DEBORAH Boy, Son of X. /. Haugen,
Writes Letter to Friend From
BendOrf on the Rhine
WAS GETTING READY FOR Hf
CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL.
Says They Have Good Billets and
Good Chow and That is What a
Soldier Appreciates
Bendorf on the Rhine
n4n % 1Q1Q

Bendorf on the Rhine
Dec. "a, 1918
Dear Amanda and Clerks:
Here is wishing you all very
Merry Christmas and / know it will
be truly merry now that the Boches
have finally been beaten. l don't
know of anything that could put US
into better frame of mind to enjoy
Christmas than just that thought.
What with Thanksgiving and Christ
mas think you people back home
have had the most festive holiday
season ever. But we boys over here
in the A. e. F. are not being cheat.
ed out of our good time, never fear.
Many of us have already received our
Christmas boxes and those who
haven't will soon get them. So we
are going to have the necessary
goodies. And then We are arranging
a Christmas tree festival to be pull
led off tonight and an entertainment
tomorrow. So you see we are COINS
to have a good time too. OF, course
the above is just little bit of con-
ISOLATION, because nothing could ever
come up to a Christmas at home,
even thoughgwe have made up our
minds to make the best Of it over
here, but Christmas under any cir
icumstances would be a most joyous
festival now. rat. ..
am very sorry indeed that ]
never got that big letter you wrote
to me at Camp Jefferson. However
guess a lot, of letters Went wrong at
that time. AT least / received very
little mail dated from that time up
to about the middle of September. J
guess will have to class that among
one of the fortunes of war, kind
of handy place to stick lot of little
as we'll as big annoyances, and a
very capacious place, too. That note
YOU enclosed from Henry Haug was
very typical of him. He is always
poking fun at someone and especial
ly his pals, it seems. told him Just
/ before / left to return ali my mali,
! as thought that would be the pesC
way Of getting it sent to me. put
| found out later that l would have
received it more quickly and GER
tainly if / had just let it alone, so it
is probably my own fault if have
not received some of my mail. Late
ly, however, / have been getting my
mail regularly. l got those Christ
mas greetings you and Clara and
, Ida sent me and l want to thank you
all so much for them. They surely
were nice cards. Also / want to
thank you for your letter of Now 81
which | am now trying to answer.
thought you wouldn't mind if at the
same time | addressed myself to the
rest of the clerks.
The 'flu" certainly did cut a wide
swath in the state didn't it? I got
the. home papers couple days ago
and almost a whole page was given
over to obituaries. OF them all the
one l was most grieved to see was
the Campbells. 1t does almost seem
like irony at times when we speak
of kind Providence. 1t surely is
great relief to hear that the progress
of the terrible disease has been stop
ped.
| am sorry that l can't write you
"a letter from France l should have
done it while / was there had I had
"A little more time. / hope, though,
that one from Germany will be al
most as acceptable, if not quite so
How can anyone help enjoying
navy life under such ideal conditions
as Will has? From all the accounts
We get, the men in the navy are all
enjoying the life, but they are not
the only ones in the service who are
doing so. Just at present we are, to
use dH army tApTeoSlOH SeIIluS
mighty pretty. We have our quarters
in a brand new building erected for
the purpose of a sort of rest room
for the employees of a large brick
yard in the vicinity. We are billited
in what I guess is meant to be
sort of cafeteria ond our kitchen is
in the same building in what is
meant to be the kitchen of this cafe
terra. In the other end of the
building there is bath house of IS
individual showers in which we may
spend an enjoyable 20 minutes or
so whenever we find it convenient.
We are almost on the bank of the
Rhine and only few minutes walk
from the main part of the village.
The last three or four evenings we
have been able to attend movie
show up town. The show house isn't
very big, but l think it will accomo-
date all who wish to go. So think
that outside of having soft bed to
sleep on Will hasn't much on US