The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-01-01

Nm the evening Of Oct. 4 we left for
ythe front once more We sleep out
in our shelter tents and ate more
canned willie. We had great time
all the way until we hit Charmond
Fritz was over in bombing place and
he was up over our heads and the
shrapnel was bursting over our heads
some. Believe me that was some
exciting. Then we found our squad
ron had moved and were at Intre-
bile. There we had good quarters
and fairly good rations. Then was
when my good times began. started
driving to Nancy nearly every day
and believe me I've seen some good
old times there. u
! On Oct. "a we left for Saizevois on
the front. 1t takes plane ten min
utes to go from here across the lines
into German territory l can make
the trent line trenches with my motor
cycle in little less than a half hour. !
have been up at the front great
many times.
have been in Nancy several differ
ent nights when they were bombing
but never got scratch although one
evening bomb light just close enough
SO that the whole street that I was on
got good shaking and believe me 1
felt said shaking and saw the bomb
explode. II was a great life when
the war was going on and there was
buckoo excitement.
On Nov. R the day after the armis-I
tice was signed / was up at hte front
and certainly saw some awfully hor-
rible sights Lots my own age lying
out on no mans land. dead, rhot to
pieces and some of the poor fellows
had been exposed to the sun and rain
fer weeks. God, but feel sorry for
their poor mothers. The scenes
were just too horrible to write about
There were a great many of our boys
kicked off in that 18th hour before
they quite fighting and there were a
lot of Germans viewed hell that same
hour. haven't got bit of pity for
the damned Huns though. They were
the most wicked, rotten set of de-
graded people that Gcd ever let live.
| was in the dugouts and there were
all kinds of women's clothes in them.
/ rather pity the children of Germany
butas for the men and women they
are no good and Wilson ought to tell
them to go to hell for their food. Did
they show any pity in Belgium? Be-
lieve I'll always hate German from
Germany. There are lets of good
fellows in-the service of German de-
scent who hate Germans Just as much
as the rest Of us boys.
have a few souvenirs to bring
home if | can only manage to carry
them and not lose any.
/, I've got German belt with a crown
on it and "Gott mitt uns", but / guess
they found out, when Sammie got in
the old battle who God was with. This
war has certainly knocked Germany
loose. The people there are starry
ing to death. Lots of prisoners are
coming back every day. In Metz
which is about 35 kilometers from
here the Frogs (French) pulled the
German statues down and you should
hear them cheer; they went completely
wild.
: Well, I guess Dad have told you
about all the news that l know and I
suppose you will begin to think this
letter is never going to end.
We expect to move any day now and
think it will be for a seaport. You
know me, Dad, always looking on the
bright side. In fact things lock so
favorable that expect to be home
some time in February. But don't
be disappointed if dent get there be-
cause they are just about as liable to
say we'll keep you here for six months
as they are to say, we'll send you
home tomorrow / also have a Ger
ann bayonet which well use to carve
the turkey when / arrive But /
guess if you knew the history of it
you wouldn't care to eat the turkey.
L picked it up all blood and rust
from a Germans gun in No Mans
Land. | suppose some poor Yank
paid the supreme sacrifice at the end
of the sticker but the German was
dead so that helps scme.
Well, / am once again in bed with
an earache, tough luck, having an
:. earache in the country; it isn't so bad
now though. can at least get to
sleep at night. n
| presume you all are waiting pa
tiently day by day for my homecom-
ing but I'm net. / can't be patient
any more. I'm just dying for a
glimpse of you all and I'll tell the