Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-01-23
Our Soldier Boys.

"
Private 1st Glass Walter A. Hatten,
1877 Infantry, Medical Department, A.
E. F., writes on December 20: "Hsve
just heard to-day that we will be here
in Settlers, Germany, for some time
yet, SO there is no doubt in any of our
minds as to where we will spend our
Christmas this year. Little did l think
last year at this time that the war
would be won and that we would eat
dinner this year in Settlers, Germany.
We nov have a large reading and
writing room that was just opened
for us to-day. We greatly appreciate
it, because now we have quite a bit of
spare time. We are only on duty at
the Infrmary every fourth day, so
this leaves three days on which we
have nothing at all to do but sleepand
eat. We think we deserve a rest, as
from May on we were nearly worked
to death. We were kept busy nearly
day and night. When they were pre-
pairing for the big offensive at Argonne
and at Verdun we moved often and
always at night. During the day we
remained in the woods and kept out
of observation of the Boche aero
planes. We are very glad of our sue
cesses and glad that we played such
an important part in conquering the
Hun. Had it not been for our com
ing when we did there is no doubt in
any of our minds but that the Hun
would have come out of the struggle
victorious. When we met and gave
the Germans their first defeat at
Chateau Thierry they were only one
hours ride from Paris. In the eight
months over here we have been in
England, France, Germany, Luxem-
burg, and one day in our hike to the
Rhine we lost our way and liked a
small distance on Belgian soil. In our
march to the Rhine all told we must
have liked over 300 kilometers, and
as a kilometer is FIVE Fights Of q mile
we have liked up to date one hundred
and eighty five miles. We consider
it a great honor to lie among the
divisions to be included in the Army
of Occupation. If we had not made
this hike we would have been back in
the S. 0. S. rolling up barbed wire, or
doing some kind of work. We may
start back soon, or we may be lucky
enough to be home by the Fourth of
July. The people have all treated us
fine and SO far have showed no out
ward hate toward us. They are all
glad that the war is over. You see no
young men around these towns, as
they have all been killed or else they
are wounded and are In some hospital.
We have excellent billets here and
have had ever since we have been in
Germany. We have a nice large room
Wlth O VIZ obONO III w. oO JOu pOO WO
are very comfortably located. 1 am
we'll and have an overcoat and rain
coat, and am as well fixed as any one
would want to be. We are getting
many nice things to eat, so we figure
that we are faring as we'll as the peo-
pie in the States"
Corporal Carl Gross, Co. F, 10th M.
s. IT,, still has headquarters at Camp
Holabird, Maryland. He has just left
the hospital al Philadelphia where he
has been confined with a crushed arm
and hand. He writes from Richmond,
Va, that they are still on the move
and did not have any idea when they
would be home.
Private Charles Damyan, 90. A, I'd
Separate Machine Gun Battalion, u.
s. M. O., Quantico, Va, has been
home on Through. His parents live
near Arcadia. He enlisted in the Ma
rine Corps on August 9Th, trained
first at Paris Island, then went to
Quantico, where he 10 still stationed.
Otto Rosentreter, Of the U. s. M. o.