The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-03-27
SOLDIER BOYS IN
FRANCE ARE BUSY
THE LETTERS FROM DIFFERENT
PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
DESCRIBE SCENES
BOYS ALL READY TO COME HOME NOW
Every Week Sees More Of The Boys
OF Bookings County Back In Their
Native Land And State

J. p. Ashbaugh has a letter from
his son, Virgil, who has been spending
a furlough from the army, at a south.
ern French resort, and his story of
the trip is quite interesting.
Mention France, Feb. 10, 1919
Dear Father: Wish you could be here
with me this week. This country is
wonderful. Nice and warm, lots of
fruit and flowers, and so it's some
different than northern France. If
you look on a map you can see how
the country lies, This town is on
the ~mountainside right next to the
sea. The hotel I am at is $50 feet
nearly straight up the mountain side.
We have to take a little car drawn by
a cable to get up here.
Day before yesterday l was at
Monte Carol and Nice. That's where
the money is. l never have seen such
beautiful buildings. Was all through
the casino where the gambling is done.
That place would make anyone want
W lake q CHANCE.
Yesterday l was over a little ways
into Italy but they won't let you go
very far.
The mountains here are snowcapped
but in the valley it is very warm. The
whole town is made up of swell hotels
and that's about all. However, it has
a population besides the tourists of
about 10000 people. Nice is a city
and has 10000 people. 1t is quite
modern. Big hotel, some out over
the sea and for miles along the water.
| have been transferred from my
driving job and when | go back I'll
be at Gondecourt. | am to be the
dairy inspector of that area covering
about twenty towns. l got another
raise just before leaving. Am a SER
geant now Not much but every lit
tie bit helps. Expect to be back at
work about the 18th or 19th.-~Hopa
when | get back there will be some
mail from you waiting me. Pm ter
ribly anxious to hear from you and
Alfred.
Don't expect me home till around
June. Wish ii was tomorrow but
that's not my luck, Florence and i
a.e expecting to go to Brookings when
| get back for a couple of weeks so
you must be sure and be there. Some
thing might turn up and I'll be home
sooner, but they are taking them back
pretty slow.
Write often. Hope you are all in
good health, Don't worry about me.
Your loving son, Virgil.
Sanitary Squad No. 20
Camp Hospital No. l
A. P. o. 703, A. E. F.
P. Sam going to send you a
Boche helmet that | got from a dead
German in the Argonne woods.
A splendid letter has been received
by Laura Miner from her brother,
Lon, now with the South Dakota ar
tillery in France.
Amanty Gondrecourt Area, France,
Feb. 18th, 1919.-Dear Laura: It has
been some time since | wrote you, in
fact l think it has been over a year.
l will try and give you a brief out
line of where we have been an dwhat
We have been doing since we left.
We left New York on the Olympic,
18th of January, and arrive din Liver.
pool, England, the 10Th. We entrained
at once and went to a rest camp at
Winchester, Eng, and stayed there
for two or three days, then went to
Southampton. We took a small boat
for LIE Havre, France, and tried to
cross the channel three different
nights, and were successful the third
night. At lie Havre we had a rather
poor idea of France, as a seaport is
more or less dirty, and we had to stay
there a few days. Leaving there we
went directly to our training camp
Samur riding in box cars which
was something new to us. Samur is
line town, located near the mouth
of the Loire river, ear Tours. We
trained there near an artillery range
and were then sent to the front. We
landed on the Toul front, where we
got our real taste of shell fire on the
5th of June. From there we were
sent to Alsace near the city of Bel
fort, which was a quiet sector, and
one hardly realized there was a war
going on as some civilians worked in
the fields, and there vas lots of fruit
growing along the roads, but occa-
sionally there was some Smelling.
Then came the big drive at Cha
teau Thierry. and We were rushed
there and got to q the real thing.
1t kept us moving lots. to follow the
Germans and many Boches fell so
we had a dead partner any night we
wanted one. Several times we slept
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