Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-01-01
irwin HALVORSON.
IN fine LETTER
Gives a Good Description of the
Different Places He Has Been
Since Landing i'm France
THE INFLUENZA GOT
HIM in THE HOSPITAL
Getting Along Fine, and Satisfied,
Feeling That i'm a Few Months
He VIII be Standing ON
~. Good Old Iowa Soil
Toul, France

NV. 20, 1910
! Mp Dear Mother We'll mother |
will not have to keep you wondering
where your son is any longer, as the
censorship is less stringent and now
! can tell you just where have been
ever since coming to this country and
what am doing You will have to
get map and look the places up to
know my whereabouts at present
We left Camp Mills on the 14th OF
August and sailed the | 9Th from Ho-
boken, New Jersey and landed at
Liverpool, England on the 2Sth,
making ID long days on the water
On the way We passed the coast of
Scotland and Ireland. From Liver
pool l went to Winchester, England
and stayed there about one week
when we went to South Hampton
and crossed the English Channel and
landed at Cherbourg, France on Sept.
Sd. The trip across the channel was
ten times worse than the ocean and
if it would have been a long trip I
know a lot of us fellows would have
been good and seasick We stayed
there 8 or 4 days and then took my
first trip in the box car, travelling
two days and three nights to place
in South Central France of Marigny
where l stayed about two weeks.
From there we took another box car
ride to Soulnot and from there to
Bessaucourt in Western France. This
town is about 4 Y miles from the
city of Belfort. 1t was at Bessaucourt
where | first got the influenza and
was taken to what they called the
camofiaged hospital, then to the Bel
fort hospital and from there they
Hospital No. II at Pagny and from
there to here Base Hospital No. 81 at
Toul. You have read in the papers
all about the battles and the front of
Nancy and Toul or as they call it,
the Toul sector, etc. Although | am
still at the hospital | am perfectly
well and might also say contented
and glad to be here, as compared to
other places they call quarters. Get
good eats and good warm rooms to
sleep in, so there is no reason why
/ should'n mt be satisfied, together with
knowing that within several months
l will be standing on good old Iowa
soil again. You perhaps will he Won
dering what have been doing while
at these different towns when | was
with the company so I'll tell You. 1T
was nothing but the same drills We
had in the states, but in place of just
marching around we were taught
the various tricks of modern war
fare and showed how to operate the
Browning machine gun, which we
would use when we were into real
action, which would have come soon
had the war not ended as soon as 1t
did. While at Bessacourt l told you
that we intended going to the front.
Well we did, but, too many of the
men were sick / guess, SO didn't. II
was from that town that Trunks
Hustyedt went to the front. | have
not seen him since so can't tell you
what he thinks of it. But | can we'll
imagine. have been laying around
in hospitals now long enough to know
something about what it is like and
can thank the good Lord many
time that didn't get the chance or
seeing the front. The boys who were
wounded and gassed are given good
treatment and they seem very cheer
full and glad to be even living to tell
about it, A young fellow next to me
had his leg blown off on Nov. and
though somewhat downhearted about
it, he said he was satisfied that he got
out as lucky as he did. There are
hundreds of cases just like that and
they are all glad that 1t wasn't any
worse. Like / mentioned in past
letter the boys would come in for
treatment and bandages and though
shot up pretty badly they didn't mind
1T bit.
am going to buy postcards OF
the towns from now on in case ever
get any money so can show you
where have been. To be broke is the
case with us all, so it seems.
When l came here they took all
nv clothes, (everything) away from
me and gave me pair of pajamas
and put me to bed. l was broke and
| thought how would feel II IN
civilian life to be 5000 miles from
home, broke and no clothes, ha' hal
But the following day l was given i
completes new outfit so am out run
ming around. I'll bet every time l
mention the hospital you think I'm
sick, when am not. heard again