Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-03-14

nurses were as kind as it is possible for humans to be. I'll always be a
booster for the Red Cross; the average dOughboy, including your humble
servant, swears by the Salvation Army; the Knights of Columbus have
done very good work-they never sell anything-what they have they offer
you, and with these little boosts l will continue my story
The Ped Cross train was a comfort and a joy after my experiences a a
d~oughboy in a real fighting unit. We had the very best of food to eat and
the hospital meals were wonderful 1t kind of made a fellow feel that it was
really worth while being wounded. was six or seven weeks in bed and
eleven in the hospital when l was given an opportunity to join the govern
ment school for stenogaphers. From this school 1 was sent o this place as
a typs, but in the making of a new organization here I was put in care of
the mail. Since my coming here in November this camp has branched into
one of the foremost embarkadon centers, and our postal work has increased
accordingly. I am now employed as mailcOurer for the regular army post
office, A. P. O. 7o5-A. ! have care of the mail truck and make two trips a
day into the main post-ohce in Bordeaux, morning and afternoon. In this
way have had an opportunity to become acquainted with some of the nicer
Bordeaux, situated on the Gironde River, some 80 miles from the Atlantic
Ocean. is a sea-port and a business civ combined with homes of the finest
Like numerous other French cities some of the natives are a bit frivolous,
but that is to be expected of Gay France. She sure has been gay since
Generals Foch, Perhing and Haig got the secret of the combination.
There are some little things that might interest you folks. I would like
to tell you a heap of things, but these 1 will W. until 1 see you. 1 cannot
tell you of Paris. When we moved into Chateau Thierry and its noisy en-
vronments, W saw the Eifel Tower from a distance, but Paris itself, this
wonderful place l have never seen. They tell me that lis double the worth
of Bordeaux as a pleasure spot, and after looking over Bordeaux-and Paris
is twice as goodwill, 1 really ought to see Paris Right here, l want to
say that l was one of the luckiet men in my old outfit. 1 was wounded
early in the game, some of the brave boys that crossed the big swim with
me will never worry about re-crossing it; some went through one drive and
was killed in another We had II men out of $50 that were on five fronts
and in four drives and escaped without a scratch. They were Pennsylvania
guardsmen, mere boys compared 10 the famous Germans they were forced
to combat. When the history of this war is written it will be a high mark
in the ANIMALS of every National Guard outfit in France. These boys we're
MEN. They surely delivered the goods, dear friend, and while suffered
some little hardships theywere as nothing compared to the brilliant perform
ance and heroic sacrifice of these men offered for France, for America and
for that thing they call Democncy-and the thought of great big, cruel friends
maybe duplicating in America the crimes of the old days in Belgium.
Maybe they would never have bothered the home foIks-but there is no
doubt now-the doubt has been removed.
With a fervent wish that it will be my pleasure to call on you on my
return to the States, 1 will bring this letter to a close, reminding you that l
will likely be here for 1t least three or four months yet, and a letter from
folks at home is like chicken pie for dinner-we don't always getit With
love to the family, the Moore's and professional greetings to the JOURNAL
reporter, I am,
WILLIAM B. GRAUEL,
Headquarters Company,
Bordeaux Embarkahon Camp,
A. P. 0. 7o5-A., AEF. France.