Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1919-05-09
CREsCo HOWARD COUNTY, IOWA, FRIDAY, MAY g. 1919
From Our Soldier and Sailor Boys.

From Our Soldier and Sailor Boys.
Sergt. Raphael Ferrie writes the fol-
lowing letter to the Plain Dealer:
How is every thing in the city of
Cresco? Every thing is fine here in
Germany, especially the weather. 1t
! is just like midsummer. 1 have just
received the Plain Dealer an1 seeing so
many letters that other boys have
wrote from this side. l thought !
would try my luck at writing short
history of my experiences in the last
ten months. s gg
LEFT Camp Pike June llth, 1918. for
camp Merritt, N. j., and landed there
the 14th. We stayed there FIVE days
getting equipped and resting up for
our long journey across the Atlantic.
We left Camp Merritt on the evening
Of the 10th and started to sail the fol-
lowing morning on the ship Delta O.
British freight boat. will never for-
get the feeling had that morning
when we were sailing out of the barber
and looking out Of the port holes and
seeing the Statute of Liberty practi-
cally the first time and believe me it
sure looked good. We weren't allowed
on deck 80 we had to stay below and
the only way we could see any thing
was by looking out the port holes, We
couldn't look very long for there were
lot of others that wanted to take the
last look Of good old U. S. A.
Our fourth day at sea we struck .
bad storm. the old ship rocked like .
leaf in q strong wind, the big waves
covered the ship making it impossible
for man to stay on deck.
During the storm we lost the rest of
our convoy and we turned around some
time in the night and went to Halifax,
Canada. landing there the evening Of
the 25th. We stayed there, nine days
remaining on the boat most of the time.
would get off the boat about an hour or
two each day for exercise. We left
Halifax the evening of July 4th for
Liverpool, the sea being pretty calm
most all the way. On the 18th We
sighted submarine, it didn't do any
damsge but we were all pretty badly
excited. We landed in Liverpool July
18th and believe me We were tickled
bunch to have solid footing sgain. We
were on the boat twenty-five days in
lsA bat were sailing only sixteen days.
|y1esiSsrehed doWnStArpueh the town. TO
the railroad station and boarded the
| train for Southampton. Arrived
there the next morning and hiked out
to camp about four miles from the sta
ton. We stayed there till that even
ing and sailed for France. arriving at
LIE Havre the next morning the 18th.
We then hiked out to . camp and slept
in little squad tents that night and the
next evening at five p. m, we boarded
the train for st. Afghan. about twenty
seven hours ride in box cars. We stay
ed there two days at the classification
camp where I lost lot of my old
friends. being sent to different outfits.
! Left St. Aignon the 2lst for St.
George on foot, distance of about
eighteen miles, staying there six days
resting up for we sure needed it. We
left there the oath for Bourse where
we boarded the train again for Lizy,
arriving there the 2Sth. There's where
had my first experience Of sleeping in
my little pup tent.
We left Lily July 3Oth in trucks to
join this company. They were in big
woods not far from the front and from
then on until the Armistice was signed
my life was at a stake.
August 4th at 4 p. M, we went over
the top at the Vesle river on the Chat
teau Theirry front. We captured small
village and advanced about three miles
and on the sixth we crossed the river
and advanced about two more miles;
how many prisoners were captured do
not know. On the ninth we were re-
lieved from the front line and put in
support, staying there for short time
and was put on different sector. We
hiked for eight or nine days and rode
on the train for couple of days and
landed in Leffol lie Grand, staying
there for few days and started back
to the front up near Verdun on the St.
Mihiel front, laying in support for some
time and on Oct. 4th, we went over the
top again. We were on the front line
for ak or seven days and was relieved,