Putnam patriot., 1919-03-14
WINDHAM COUNTY BOY SAYS
 CONDITIONS AT BREST ARE GOOD
CRITICISMS OF CAMP AT PORT OF REPATRIATION NOT WARRANTED, ACCORDING TO TRUMAN WOOD
 WARD OF ATTAWAUGAN
His Story Should Satisfy the Minds Windham County

more than passing interest because it tells of conditions at Brest. There has been considerable adverse criti- cism about the camp at this port of authorization. General Pershing has stated that conditions were good at the camp. Soldiers arriving on this side have told stories of horrible con ditions. Private Woodward, an oc- eupant of the camp and an eye wit ness, tells his own story, and is it most favorable His letter follows;
 "Camp Pontanezen, Brest France
 February 28, 1919. i Dear Folks.
 Every now and then swear off from letter writing, thinking that the chances are very good for me to beat my letters home, and likewise every now and then have to come down to earth and realize that though dreams do come true, in the army they take three times as long for realization as in civilian life I expect now, con- servatively speaking, to be home by 1885, and if not too decrepit l will graduate from Garrett in the class of 1888 some five years before my de- cease
 But to talk seriously: We are now at Brest instead of Le Mans, and 1t is now only question of how many more of the A E. F. they are going to send home before they run across this diminutive Trench Mortar Bat tery. We seem too small to be notie= ed in connection with sailing lists, but in connection with camp work de- tails we are never overlooked. The only trouble with this camp is that it isn't America. It is as good place as could reasonably be expected. There are but six men to a tent. We sleep singly, each having mat tress and five blankets, whereas new CT before have we been issued more than three Then each tent has a lit tie stove and sufficient wood is fur nished for fuel purposes. The food is the best we have ever had in France, and is apportioned the most literally. Moreover the service IS good, and we have the luxury of ta- bles to eat from. even though we do stand up at mess.
 Probably the most disagreeable feature is the rain. You know at Wesleyan in one or two classes there were hints that the story of the flood was not strictly true in the literal sense, because it defed the grand and sublime laws of nature But since coming to France and particularly to Brest. I have never doubted that old Biblical tale at all. Why over here if it only rains forty days and forty nights at a time they call 1t a shower; and in order for to have something worthy of the name of a storm, the sun must hide it's face for six months at least. The other afternoon by mis- take or chance Old Sol showed him self for few minutes, and so can not really say l have seen Brest storm yet, only shower.
 "Then you must realize that all this water has to go somewhere, and the bulk of it reaches the sea. But the remainder lays around in pools fp muddy roads, causing such state un- der foot that to obviate it the sani. tary authorities have built large board walks through every route in camp. Meanwhile, when not out or detail, we lie in our tents and listen to the whistles of boats in the har- bor transporting other more fortu- nate soldiers back to the fairest land on earth.
 "The Knights of Columbus build ing is situated right across the street from our organization, and they have a change of pictures every night. Sc that in this respect we are quite for tunate to be so near a source of en- tertainment But one must go early or be left out, for half an hour be- fore the show begins the house al ways has a capacity audience, with the windows and rafters and tables full, too. Only the other night so many men stood up on the writing ta- bles to get a glimpse of William s. Hart in action that the tables broke with crash and the men straightway met the ll-known fate of Jack and Jill
 II may say that all our paper work is done in preparation for sail ing, the passenger lists are made out, the medical inspection has been pas sed, the equipment inspection has al- so been held, and all that remains now is for some one in authority to say Go Meanwhile to our disap- pointment the entire 27th division which came in long after us has been given priority to all other outfits in camp-probably because some one