Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-01-10
FROM FRANCE
Villas County Soldiers Write
Of Their Experiences
In Sunny France.


The following letter received by
Miss Margaret McGregor, from her
brother, now in France, denotes that
"Tom" will be able to relate some
pretty interesting war history when
he returns from overthere.
Nov. ~, 1915
Dear Sister,
suppose by this time you are
thinking that have forgotten all about you
Such is not the case We ara now quartered
at little village just outside the city Of
Diedenhoffen, for a. few days rest, on our
march to the Rhine
Well Sis, suppose you were very glad
when the war came to an end We sure gave
Old Bill and his world eonquering army all
they wanted, expect to eat my Christmas
dinner in Coblentz which is located on the
Rhine. was in the battle that turned the
tables, the drive at Chateau Thierey, the one
at St Mihiel. and the two drives Of the Ar
gonne. / am wearing gold stripe for six
months service in France. sure have seen
some wonderful bhiHg4 and have alsos@ had q
world of experience since have been on this
side, wouldn't have missed it for anything
am now on special duty with the 10th
Truck Company but my address is the same,
Well don't suppose it will be long before I
get back to abe U. 81 and then can tell you
lot of interesting stories OF the front, Have
received all of yours and mothers letters and
viii write oftener now. Best love, and Merry
Xmas, and Happy New Year to you all, and
write soon. Your brother, Tom.
The following letter from another
Villas county boy, now in France,
Raymond Lat Chance, of State Line will
be of interest to many Of our readers.
Marseilles, France.
December, 7th 1918,
Dear Pearl
We can forget some Of our
friends some of the time but, we can't forget
all OF our friends all of the time, so feel it is
about time / was waking up from what seems
to me a rare dream. Although we don't do
very much writing while here in France we
do whole lot IF thinking and especially of
the folks back home. When one has never
been able to receive letter from there it
doesn't offer much material to write any.
have been one of the more unfortunates guess
as far as my mail is concerned, yet / little
wonder at the rate of speed we have been me-
andering about France. 1t seems that we have
done nothing else but travel Yet that is just
what we want. The more we see the more we
learn.
I can say that have enjoyed France from a
historical point of view. Many places and
things you tried to drillinto our dusty brains
a few years ago have all become real and am
SO thick anyway that it has to be the material
| things that stick For example the time you
asked R. White what cannon was and he told
| you that lit was device for altering maps
France certainly is very interesting place
nevertheless, but know of another country
that is ever so much more interesting. In spite
of what every fellow over here has gone thru
he can't say when he gets back, that it wasn't
a good experience. We are all as anxious to
get back as we were to get here For my part
! am willing to stay here my term and let the
other fellow who came over before me go home
before me, not that I'm not as anxious as he is
to get back though.
| At present we are in Sunny France and en-
| joying it, but if what we hear is true we will
be going north again by the first of the coming
year. / am in hopes that it will be Berlin or
some place in Germany. would try and re-
new the German that Miss Frankel couldn,t
make us learn. have gotten along very NICE
| ly with my French and have some very good
tinstructors). If they can't tell you they show
you. 1t is custom Of the Freedman to use
his hands to speak with anyway.
We have seen many of the more interesting
| things also, such as the birthplace and home
of Joan of Arc some of the old time castles
that were built in the ime Of Louis " There
are old chapels that are thousands of years old
| and the decorations and ornaments of that age.
They are things that cannot be described, or at
least l wouldn't do them justice if / attempted.
AS for the soldiers life while in France, you
folks back there have an idea of what it is like
| 1t has its ups and downs here as well as over
there. Maybe they haven't learned all but
now that the fellows are getting back home
you'll learn plenty about France Every
fellow has his story and tale of woe. Many of
! the fellows are leaving from this camp to go
home and it sort of makes us long to go with
them. The new order of keeping so many men
in France has sort of made us give up the idea
of getting back home very soon. / know that
I am doomed for some months to come The
only regret that have is that didn't get over
here about six months sooner.
How is everything in Villas County: Re-
member me to the family and to any one else
I may know. l hope that the Spanish Infuen-
"a hasn't discovered Wisconsin or never will.
| 1t has left its imprint on many of the places