The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1919-04-24
LETTER FROM
HAND co. BOY
d. T. Starr Writes of Trip Home and
Landing at New York
Camp Mills,
April Is. 1919.

Dear Grille:
have a miserable pen to write with
but / shall try and write a few lines
anyway. We are now very comfort
ably located in barracks with most
every comfort and convenience you
could expect to find in a camp. l sup
pose you no doubt have received my
telegram by this time and wonder
what | have been doing with all my
money. I'll tell you when I get home.
Am expecting to hear from you yet
today.
l won't attempt to describe the feel
ing or sensation that came over me
when shortly before dark the evening
of the 18th we discovered in the dis
lance a long dark bank which we
knew was land. A sort of Thank
God" feeling came yelling up from
the depths of somewhere and you
wanted to shout for joy but you were
almost afraid for fear 1t might disap-
pear. AS dark came on and the tnou-
sands Of lights began glimmering on
all sides of us about the bay we began
to realize that it was really true.
car assure you that Columbus was no
o thrilled at the sight of land than
were we. | remained on deck until
the anchor was dropped 10000 p. m.)
a couple hundred yards off Staten Is
land and then down for 5 hours sleep.
At 400 a. m. we got up and rolled our
packs and policed (cleaned) up the
boat The anchor was pulled at 1900
and we then proceeded up the old
Hudson past the Goddess of Liberty
to the docks on the N. j. side. AS I
gazed upon the great Statue of Lii
berty" which seemingly rises right
out of the water to welcome all COM
ers, | had another queer sensation
that | can't explain, but anyway |
realized more than ever before what
Freedom and Liberty means and how
thankful we should be that we live i'm
such a great country as is ours.
& AT the docks we were greeted by a
band and a large company Of Red
Cross girls, Y. w. c. A., Salvation
Army girls and etc From the docks
we took a ferry up and across the
Hudson, thence by train to Camp Mills
From the moment we locked we began
to realize that we were in a real coun-
try. First the Red Cross put over a
Barrage of Oranges onto the ships
dock. AS we came off we were given
coffee and rolls or buns lust like
mother used to make" and then candy,
gum, post cards, and best of all a
3-inch cube of real honest, frosted
fruit cake, the first | had tasted since
| left home.
Here at camp we have much liberty.
No formations or bugle calls. Mess
is elaborate, entertainment, libraries,
gymnasiums, baths, and CONNECTION
and souvenir exchanges are on every
hand. Before | had been in camp Is
minutes / had run down an exchange
and was fast putting myself outside
of 3 pie a la modes, and various sundry
palatable ~delicacies, such as apples,
oranges, bananas, etc.
So long as we have to remain i'm
the army / think we could find no
better place than this.
The weather has been rainy today
but | have been busy on records, camp
lists and etc, so it hasn't made much
difference Tomorrow noon | expect
to go on pass to N. Y. and see a few of
the wonderful sights that the great
city affords. I'm sure tho that there
will be no sight any ways near SO
welcome and in many other ways not
to compare with the sweet face of you
dear and baby Jean.
l have little idea of when We will
get away, maybe in a couple of days,
maybe rs many weeks. However the
odds are in favor of a short stay here
so hope to get away within a week
at the most. Now l will probably not
write much more for / will no doubt
be home almost as soon as the letters
With love,
Mech. ID r. Starr.
81 Division. Co. E. 361st Inf.