The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-03-18
FROM OVERSEAS
PHILIP GRINAGER WRITES HIS
MOTHER OF WAR En-
PERIENCES.

st. Amand, France, e l9.-My
Dear Mother: Your letter of Janu-
airy % was received a few days ago
and | sure was glad to hear from you
again. 1t has been raining nearly all
day and is very muddy. We are
practicing with the rifle this week in
aiming and positions in shooting and
then next week we go over to Treve-
ray TO shoot on the range. OF course
we had lots of this work before the
war ended, but / guess we will have
some more of it again to keep us
busy. During the months of Deem
Der and January we had lots of nam
euvers in warfare up on the hills and
In the wood.
The other day | saw Claude Ken
ney for the first time since we had
been in France. L had not seer him
since We were at Camp Dodge. He is
In Company I, 350th infantry. All
regiments had been on a big maneu
yer that day and he went through
our town going back to his company.
i was eating dinner in the kitchen
when he walked in and | was sure
glad to see him. He is stationed at a
town about six miles from here.
You were asking if / knew Nels
Stangland. Yes, l knew him very
well. He was taken sick at Perouse,
France, and was sent to n of the
hospitals near Belfort, France, where
he died and was buried near Belfort.
We were in the same platoon and
were together quite a lot. We bunk
ed in the same barn at Perouse. This
barn where we bunked was an old
place and we could see the stars
above us through the holes in the
roof. and then you "a imagine as
much rain as we had there was a
chance Of some of it coming down up
on us. We did not stay there very
long until we were moved to other
billets.
/ remember one night al this place.
we were awakened by a great noise
overhead. 1t was a clear night and
just the kind for an air raid. The
shooting seemed to be right over my
face, not more than a few feet. OF
course, naturally l pulled the blank
cts over my head, but that would not
stop the hundreds of pieces of tile
that formed the roof over us If the
shell had hit that particular build
ing. The Germans knew we were
billeted in that town and were look
| I'm ~ for M nunru nfuht hnt InnEfly
no one was ever hurt. One of the
shells fell a few feet from the supply
company's kitchen. The night we ar
rived in Belfort by train we hiked
right through to Perouse. The boche
thought we were still in Belfort SO
they made a raid on that town the
next night, but they were foiled
again. We were told that Belfort
was a dangerous place to unload
troops. | can see the men now get
ting out of the box cars, everything
dark, not any more talking than nee
essary and singing On heavy packs,
we formed in companies near the de-
pot, probably 1900 men, maybe
more. Then we started on the hike.
AS we marched through the city of
Belfort i'm the night the only sound
that could be heard was the clatter
OF hobnailed shoes against the cob
blestone streets. The streets were
narrow and some were no wider than
an alleyway. A Frenchman would
open the shutters and look out at the
long line of doughboys marching
through the darkness.
We sewed gold service stripes on
our coats and overcoats last Sunday,
February 16, which represents six
months services overseas. l have
heard We will be issued front line
buttons to ear
/ am enclosing a little handker-
chiefs for Johnnie. He "a asking
for a souvenir from France. With
love to all, Philip.