The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1919-06-06
Pvt. Everett Preston
Writes From France

/ st. Nazaire, France, May is, 1919.
Editor Big Sandy News:
Lost $4,000 Marines Somewhere in
France" Our foot sweet soldiers are
keeping steady flow homeward bound
and large percent of them are home
and have told their adventures to their
good cold friends many times. see
Troops go every day and often go down
and see them get on the transport,
and 1 can hardly resist crawling on,
! but as someone has TO do the work l
manage 20 make an about face and
observe the A T. S regulations for
our time is coming soon when we will
be blowing thru the deep blue sea to
the best country in the world.
| | know have been a little unlucky
but 10 remind the boys that have re-
turned home and in their civies, OF
| their military career that they were
lucky to get out so soon I'm writing to
! your paper. have been In the service
over d year and feel that the Marine
Corps is as good branch OF the ser
vice as any young man can get into IL
he likes military life. They expect
each and every man TO be 100 percent.
soldier while in the service, but I pre-
fer the civilian life. | am not in the
least dissatisfied because / owe II to
my country and to the Belgian people.
We have a little Belgian mascot
with us that has been with our com
pany for Some time. He IS eleven
years of age. He and his sister were
captured by the Huns when he was
seven years old, and his mother es-
capped The British launched an at
tack on the Boche. and recaptured lit
tie Charlie. He was a German pris-
oner for eight days. He was telling
me about his mothers farm; said he
had some little chickens, and also
goat he had tied with line when
they captured him, and he wouldn't
talk about his sister for she had been
a prisoner for three years, and she had
to do as the cruel Germans said or
they would kill her. Charlie was
wounded two times and his knee is in
bad condition. His knee is stiff and |
his leg was broken and Is very crook |
ed, but he has so, much pep that he |
gets around hne. We found Charlie |
and his mother at Nantes. She was in \
the hospital and little Charlie had to |
make his own way thru the world, and
food was scarce We took him to our
our barracks and bought him little |
uniform and when he went over in
town with any of us he's the whole
show, for all the. French stop and talk
TO him for he is so clean and attrac-.
tive that we are proud of him When
we moved here he was anxious TO come
with us and says he wants to go TO
with us. He always gets
something every payday. When the
amp school started he began going to
school and within two wedls he could
cad some and he also knew his null
iplication table.
Three weeks ago we decided to have
IN operation performed on his leg
while he was young and strong and
lie was sent base hospital near
He is getting along fine and
he doctor says that his leg will be as
God as It ever was within two months.
lie has big crowds around him every
ay. All the nurses>are proud of him.
lie wears two wound stripes and SER
eants chevrons which we gave him.
lfter he had been at the hospital for
wo weeks some one made the remark
hat all the good marines We're dead
nd that when he got well they We're
ding to make him orderly. He said,
H. Co. isn't dead and I'm sergeant;
nap out of your hop! like Charlie
ecause he has such control of himself
nd never uses any bad language and
lost of all he does not smoke cigar
ties for most all the--lads in This
,untry use tobacco. | think that he
specimen of a boy to be brought
p among soldiers.
PVT, EVERETT PRESTON