The citizen., 1919-02-27


26 January, 1919.
Dear friends:
No doubt il will be interesting to
some Of you to know the army ex-
periences Of one of the many Berea
boys, who has taken part in this
great conflict. | enlisted May 3rd,
1917, taking the Coast Artillery for
my choice Of the many branches of
service. | had not been in this
branch Of service yet two months
when | found out that the kind of
army life | wanted was not TO be
had in the branch | had chosen.
I On an order form the War De-
partment" transferred to the
Infantry and was sent to Gettys-
burg, Pennsylvania.
Here | went into camp life, and
began TO drill in earnest as only
doughboys do. My regiment 9th
Inf was camped on the historic
Battlefield of Gettysburg" and on
the spot where Pickett made his
famous but fatal charge.
In our drills and marches, our
officers would explain TO us the tao
ties and different positions of the
armies who took part in this great
battle, the battle which marked the
turning point of the Civil War, and
is counted one of the worlds great
est battles.
One of the many things particu-
larly interesting TO me was seeing
the exact spot where President
Lincoln stood when he made his
famous Gettysburg Address," one
of the greatest pieces of literature
in the world.
While in Gettysburg | was made
Corporal, and each week | taught
. English to the men in my company
who were not able TO read and write
our language.
In October of the same year all
the troops stationed at Gettysburg
were removed to Camp Greene,
Charlotte, n. c., where our drill
would not be slackened on account
Of cold weather. Our army had be-
gun TO organize machine gun battal--
, ions, and here in this camp soon
after arrival | was transferred to
the 8th NJ. G. Bn. This branch OF
service | consider one of the great
est in our army, or any army, today.
II is only made up of the best type
of men, and am proud TO belong
TO an organization like that.
Camp Greene was an assembling
camp for troops going overseas, and
we soon began to prepare for our
journey. We were placed in the
3rd Division (Reg), and started
overseas, March %, 1918.
Our journey across the Atlantic
was uneventful, although the ships
gun crews fired some eight or nine
shots at what they thought might
be submarines. There was very
little seasickness among the boys, for
the fact that we came on the "Aqui-
tania," the second largest boat anoat
and the waves had very little effect
on her.
On the ninth dav we arrived at
Liverpool, England, and there took
train to Southampton, where we
stayed for three days. In this town
| saw the house where the Pilgrim
Fathers met and planned their jour
ney to the New World, where they
could be free and equal and worship
God according 30 the dictates Of
their own conscience.
From Southampton we went to
Havre, France, and from thence we'
took train to the interior Of that
country, TO a little village near
which was TO be our last training
grounds before we went into the
lines.
About a week after our arrival
here | was promoted TO Sergeant
and sent 10 a machine gun school
for one month. where | studied the
mechanism and tactical employment
Of the machine gun.
In May, 1913, the 3rd Division
was ordered into the lines at Chau-
teau-Thierry. In this now famous
town | was on guard for one week |
with four machine guns. and here
| spent my ith of July. The Boche
at this time still occupied half the
town, which was on the opposite
side OF the Marne river.