The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1919-02-13

hbs of our experiences as you may be-
lieve of me as a certain sergeant did
| of the Germans He was ordered 10
take a detail of men out to bury some
| Germans. Shortly after the captain
went out and said, "Well, sergeant
how are you getting along?" VERY
good, sir" he replied. "They are all
buried with the exception of one over
here who swears he's not dead. But
you know, sir, we can't believe those
| On Germans anyway, they're such
liars"
This morning, Sunday, December
| Sth, spent wandering over the hills
back of Pont-A-Mousson. The Ger.
mans were wonderfully entrenched
there and had taken advantage of all
| the natural resources of the hills
There were deep ravines connected
| by wide tunnels and the dugouts
were blasted out of the solid rock
| Regular villages, like the cave men
OF western America lived in, had been
constructed in these ravines and they
were in most instances fairly dry and
comfortable. Protected as they were
from the storms and with good fires
in each dugout, life wasn't so bad as
many people might have believed. o.
course this is only one instance
Many of the other places | have seen
were wet and must have been regu
lar pig pens.
The surrounding woods was literal
ly cut to pieces, the limbs being shaw
ed off, the trunks splintered and
smashed to kindling wood. Probably
you have seen a northern Michigan
woods after a forest fire devastated
IT, Then just imagine a mighty
storm sweeping thru, tearing up most
of the trees by the roots, smashing
some off in mid air, with the wreck
age dangling; and great pit holes
thirty or forty feet in diameter yawn
ing up at one. 1t is almost too awful
to describe the different "Hellwoods"
we have seen, and to feel that human
beings had to live in and survive
four years of this life-all because OF
the militaristic passions of one man.
who melted by his lust for world
power, brought all this desolation
this misery and suffering, not alone
to one peoples, but to many nations
i In closing it will not be inappro-
pirate to say that all of us on Thanks.
giving Day offered up a Prayer truly
of Thanksgiving that We had been
brought safely thru these months OF
the most terrific warfare the world
will ever witness and that this old
earth will ever in the future be a
safe place for all humanity to live in
and enjoy the fruits of it's labor with.
out the continual family quarrels
amongst the monarchial relations of
the various old world countries.
Thus endeth the writing of -Four
months with the A. E. f. in France"
|, Your loving son,
SGT. l.. j. MENZIES,
Battery c. 1923 f. A.
American Z. F., France.
via New York
Censored by
Captain A. Baxter,
Capt. 329 +. A., u, S. A.
Headquarters 5th f. A. Brigade
American Elk. Forces, France
November IL, 1918.
The following is published for the
information of this Command:
: THE following message received
from Headquarters End Army:
"Armistice signed effective II hours
IL November, 1918, at or before which
time all hostilities and advance must
cease. Hold and accurately report
line reached at that hour. No com.
munication will be had with the en-
envy"
HeinZelman, Chief of Staff
Thoroughly explain to all that
an armistice is not a peace and that
, our status is that of unit in line OF
i battle in war. All laws and rules OF
war apply. No change in Brigade
orders as to personnel. Improve con
ditions of men and animals-clean
equipment-Keep ready and alert
) Enforce paragraph one strictly.
VI BY Command of Brigadiel
, General Rivers,
ii (Signed) w. W. Cowgirl
Capt. +. A
9 Adjutant.
Copy of order issued regarding
armistice which meant Cease Fir
ing" to ia