Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-02
MANNED SOLDIERS
JOKE OF LOSSES
Lad With Leg OFF Sees Saw.
ing in Shoes, Nurse
Writes
LETTERS TO DIR. STEELE
Come in Full of Shrapnel and
First Question Is when
Is Chow?"
LETTERS TO DIR. STEELE

Wounded American boys in hospitals
abroad do not brood over their troubles.
They are invariably happy, and they
see the funny side of everything
This is shown in one of many letters
received from overseas by the Rev. DR..
David M. Steele. rector of the Church
Of st. Luke and the Epiphany. Doctor
Steele has had letters from nurses and
soldiers, members of his parish, and in
all cases the tone is cheerful. although
a note of homesickness has crept into
them lately. Upon request he has al
lowed excerpts to be taken from some
of these.
Miss Emma c. witherup. trained
nurse. with u. S. Base Hospital No. 3s,
A. +. F., writes: II do not think the
young men Of any nation can compare
with these boys. They see the funny
side of everything. My ward is in a
perfect uproar from morning until night.
Even those seriously wounded are al
ways joking with each other. For ex-
ample. one man with his right arm
off asked me why I never took his pulse
on the east side. Another, with a leg
off, said he had always wanted to have
his shoes made to order but never be-
fore could afford it.
when Is Chow-time"
I'VE have received thousands right
from the front They may be full of
shrapnel but invariably their first ques-
tion is, When Is chow-time?'
Sergeant Edwin Buchwald. Company
A, Department 65, r. F. c., writes from
st. Sulpice December 8: "I had a seven
days furlough, beginning just in time to
board the train for Paris along with
some boys for the celebration Of the
armstice. We certainly had a welcome.
AS we stepped from the train an average
of twenty people each tried to kiss us
and all wanted to dance with us.
Sergeant Robert f. Patched, First Ma
rine Aviation Forces. writes from the
Thirtieth General Hospital. Nc. 80, Ca
lais France. n long letter, devoting page
after page to cheerful words and exhor-
tatons to persuade his parents not to
worry. 1t is only at the very end that
he refers to his own troubles thus: 81
have merely had influenza and what they
call double pneumonia. I have now been
in the hospital twice. but this time will
stay until I get well and strong.
Had Interesting Trip
Miss Ethel Boyer. sailing from New
York to join the Red Cross, writes on
board the Transatlantique, and sends
back from Bordeaux description
of her Interesting trip" having had
"only four days of rough sailing and
two each of fog and rain. We had much
social life on board. folk songs and
dances on deck, American dances and
popular songs, games. boxing and phys
ical exercise-and music by French
band"
Private William r. Burke, Sales Com.
missary Unit No. 80. M. c. writes from,
Belgium: I'VE had seen some buildings
shot down in France but, on this trip
through little Belgium. We sure have
seen some that are shot up. 1t Is a
pleasure to see the Belgians coming back
| to their homes; that Is. the few who
find their homes standing. But, no mat
ter what they find, all they say is, III
could be worse"
Corporal Charles Harrod, o. Nj. r. S..
Third Artillery Corps, arrived late in
France And yet ne saw service before
the climax came.
Livestock His Alarm
Joseph Cook, Battery A. 10sth Field
| RrtllleTy, composed the ioiioWiHs VI
knights of Columbus paper, active serv
ice with A. e. F." Some one forwarded
| me a COPY Of the EVENING PUEBLO
LEDGER. which was very interesting. es
pecially the head lines of your interview
which they had marked in heavy blacl
crayon, Boys in France Written Often.
| am afraid whoever used that penci
was ironical toward me. but I have
been pretty busy. At present we ar
stationed in a barn. 1t Is equipped
with a wonderful reveille alarm. com
posite Of two pigs, Ave goats and ont
COW. who all begin to sing over There
in the key Of z at 6 o'clock In the
morning. Is it any wonder we canno
find our fountain pens? We even &c
each others hob-nailed shoes mixed up.