Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1919-01-30
Letter From Sergeant Snyder.
Romorantin, France,


effort on the part of the Americans
here to do their best to see who coulo
make the most noise to greet the New
Year. The result was astounding, and
| have never heard such mixture OF
noises in all my life. Whistles, bells
guns. tin pans, buckets, bugles-in fact
everything that would make noise was
brought into full play, and for while
the old camp roared as it has never
done before. III venture that many
fellow lost his favorite wash bucket
or basin last night. This morning
heard one of the cooks complaining be-
cause he could not find his favoritt
dishpan, and even the barber was run
ming around looking for his oil can
and the bugler has not yet found one
of his bugleS-So you can imagine what
an uproar we had | never heard any
demonstration quiet down so quickly
for at twelve-twenty the camp was a.
quiet as il ever is and there was not
sound TO be heard anywhere. | sup
pose ii was because the fellows are USED
to going to bed early, and as soon as
they got out and made their little noise
and welcomed the New Year they just
went right to bed. When | went
through the barracks at halfpaSt
twelve the usual number of shores were
heard on every side. We are clear al
one end OF the camp, so that we did moi
get the full benefit Of the celebration
for down further in the camp the bands
were out and making music and at one
OF the ~" hutS they had a regular
watch meeting. The lid was OF last
night for staying up late, but the fell
lows are so used to going to bed early
that they barely were able to stay I'D
until twelve o'clock. asked one man
today how long he had been in the ar
my and he right away answered
Three years, 1917, 1918 and 1872
he enlisted some time last December
II sure seems longer than that, but |
guess three years will cover the time
pretty we'll. We have couple of men
who have been in the army five or six
years and one fellow who is serving
his fifth enlistment, having been in the
army ever since the Spanish-American
war. He sure is an old-timer for fair,
and we have lots of fun with him.
have a bunch that We are not going
10 De here so very much longer, for the
rumor persists that we are to be among
the next to pack up and leave. Nine
aero squadrons have already left, and
We are the oldest inhabitants of the
city now, and we feel that We would be
the next to 60. But then you can
never tell what will happen, and we
might be selected to stay and clean up
after someone else has gone. | sure
hope they don't ask us to do that, for
We had &c build this camp and they
ought not ask us TO stay here and tear
1t down. Putting it up is our share
OF construction here. You have never
heard so many rumors as are flying
around now, and every few minutes
someone comes along with a new ore
| sometimes sit and wonder what the
next one will be. The Third Regiment
OF Motor Mechanics, which has been
here since July, has been loaned to the
Motor Transport Corps to work on
salvage trucks that are being sent here
from all over the whole field, and YOU
never saw such sore bunch. 1t is
said that there are only about fifteen
thousand trucks and about half that
number OF touring cars to be gone over
so they don't have such big job ahead
OF them am glad that am not in the
Third, for ii looks to me as though they
were out Of luck, when it comes TO 60
Ing home. | guess for the first few
weeks they won't DO much work but
spend their time grou;hins and kick
Ing, and after that with the usual
American spirit they will 60 te the
w"Ik with WI, al, they will make
short work of those trucks. The
proposition Of repairing and salvagine
all those trucks and cars is a big one
and there will be whole lot of work
needed to clean things up. am glad
that they did not pick on us to do that
work, for am ready and rarin' to come
home, and the thought that might
have to stay over six months or more
yet would be discouraging, to say the
least.
Every man in this camp is on his
toes and wondering when the order
will come to move homeward, and
whenever the men come together the
first question asked is. "Have you,got-
ten your orders to start YETI" And al
most without fail the answer is NO
for there have been comparatively few
who have left so far and there are nc
organizations under orders at the pres
ent time. When bunch does get ar
order they are envied by every other
bunch in the camp, and then the
rumorS start out anew, and for few
days the air is blue with possibilities.
have resigned myself to the fact that
when the order comes for us to pack
up that | will be among the first to
know il, so am waiting more or less
patiently for the order to come And
! am not worrying about it, either, for
there is no use in that, for when the
powers that be are ready for us TO
move they will let us know in plenty
OF time and so | am resting comfort
ably and not holding my breath
When the order does come the COM
pany will go straight up in the air, and
there will be mighty job to hold them
down and get the work done that will
be necessary before we can move out.
~ VIII w ASSSooaiy lldt VIC OIlll anu
get the company into shape so that we
can move about and act like an army
any way, and then will come the big job
OF turning in equipment and getting
the records in such shape that we viii
be prepared for anything. Company
property will have to he gone over and
all except the bare necessities will be
turned in, for We travel light, and once
We get started We hope that we won
be long on the way, and what a great
day it will be when We hit the boat and
start across the ocean for the home
land. None of us will mind being sick
and the discomforts which come OF be-
ing aboard ship will be taken gladly
and there will be some difference from
coming over. When we came over the
eternal cry was, "Come on, step live
ly and get aboard" Going home all
We will hear will be, Come on there
cut out that crowding." We will be
that anxious and excited that we will
probably try to run over each other il
getting on the ship, and when il comes