The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-06-26

We went to Fort Logan where we
were issued our first army clothing.
The train on which we were pulled
into Camp Fremont and the hundreds
Of tired "rookies" were indeed glad to
get there.
I was one Of the lucky ones to be
assigned to Co. &C" Of the 20 Machine
Gun Battalion of the Eighth Division,
under the command Of Oren F. En-
yart. Had it not been for Capt. Enyart
many Of we boys would have been dis
couraged many times.
We all set to work with a will. May
June, July, August and September
passed rapidly and with many a thot
Of the record Of the % Machine Gun
Battalion would make. We were under
oversee orders at Camp Fremont fol
awhile as they intended to send us to
Siberia. A part of the 9Th Division
left for Siberia but they thot it best
to send the Machine Gunners to
France. I was in the hospital at Camp
Fremont for II days.
On Oct. 23rd, we steamed under or
ders for Camp Mills, New York. This
was a very pleasant journey also. The
members Of the Red Cross at every
station where we stopped met us and
gave us fruit or had coffee ready for
us. We stopped at Niagara Falls two
hours, but we were all anxious to get
to France to try our Brownie Machine
Gun at the huns.
At Camp Mills, daily inspection is
sues Of vel sea caps, leggins etc.
were the rule and within two days
the battalion was prepared for imme-
date embarkaton. Baggage and COM
pany property went to the boat-but
the orders were postponed-once more
equipage was sent out another post
ponement, the armistice was signed
and then gloom.
Heartsick and sorely tried by dis
comforts, the battalion stayed by the
job we knew then that ours would not
be the great accomplishment, we had
arrived too late.
After this I got a good time for
sightseeing in New York. After We
knew that we wouldn't he sent across
we were all anxious to return home.
After 81 dreary days Of waiting the
welcome order for transfer arrived.
We sailed for Camp Lee and the bat
| alI;on went IN . barra ks on Thanks
| giving night. Our Thanksgiving din
ner on board ship wasn't much but we
were joyfully surprised at the elaocr-
ate arrangements that were made for
our reception at Camp Lee. The bar
racks which we were to occupy were
found in a clean and sanitary con-
dition and the bed sacks on which we
were to sleep already had been filled
with clean straw and were found on
the cots. We did not expect anything
more than the customary repast that
is prepared for newcomers, which usu-
ally consists of a couple of washtubs
of "slum" and a barrel of prunes, but
when we entered the mess halls we
found steaming roast turkeys with all
the trimmings that go to make up the
holiday menu.
We spent Christmas at Camp Lee.
This is a Christmas that the boys Of
Co. C Of the 20 M. G. Bn. will carry
in memory for many years.
I was supposed to be discharged
from Camp Lee in January but we
were quarantined for measles about
the time we would have started. We
had to stay there then until the 18th
Of February.
I arrived at Camp Dodge and they
went right to work filling out our
discharge papers. / had my discharge
all signed up and was ready TO start
for home the next morning-but got
the scarlet fever. They sent me q
the hospital and withdrew my dis
charge and my pay went % Just Tie
same.