The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-03
HAD VARIED EXPERyc.
Wagner Ernest E. Gus. son Writes
Sister of His Promotion.

| Wagner Ernest j.. Gustafson of the
American expeditionary forces in France
writes his sister, Mrs. Aaron Gustafson
Of Washington street an interesting ac-
count of his experiences in France for a
year, telling of his promotion to wagon
er and Of being employed in various ca
pacities. His letter is as follows:
Luxemburg, Thanksgiving Day.
Dear Sister and Family; Well, it is
now some time since you heard from me
and | guess it is some time since heard
from you, but | am we'll and enjoying
good health same as usual As YOU
might see on top, ! have moved up since
last time / wrote.
Well the censor rules have eased up
now so we can tell little of what we
have been doing, SO here goes. We landed
ID Brest on Nov. IL and STAYED on the
boat for five days, then we shipped up
st. Nazaire and stayed there two weeks,
was there last Thanksgiving.
Then they shipped us to Langres which
is below Paris, over towards the Swiss
border. This is the Goth engineers head
quarters and we are doing surveying,
map making, and painting, etc.
| stayed there two weeks then six of
US were shipped back to st. Nazaire to
assemble automobiles. We were at St.
Nazaire last Christmas and New Years
day. We stayed there for about three
weeks, then ] was taken sick with
light attack of pneumonia and was in
the hospital for over two weeks, and
then shipped back to the company
Stayed there about two weeks then
was sent to Chaumont to do translat.
ing; translated the Scandinavian Press
Stayed there three months. That was
swell job, but / din't like it and finally
got back to the company. Then / got
to driving truck and been doing that
since. Have been all over France.
don't know how many times ! have been
up to st, Nazaire. ! guess four times
since.
The first time | went up close to lines
was in July when the marines started
the Huns back out of the Beleau wood.
was in there for five days. Now let
me tell you that was some hot place to
be. Since then | have been up close, /
don't know how many times, mostly
around Verdun and Toul fronts.
Now, since the Germans signed the ar
mistice two or three dozen Of us are de-
tached to the Sd army for duty We
are right close behind the Germans, fol-
lowing them up. / guess we are going
to Coblenz and stay there for some time.
We started out from Toul and the old
No Mans land above Verdun to obtain
some sights Of destruction up through
there, and we could have got some good
souvenirs all the way up through there,
but we have no place to carry them, but
got few small ones. We have been
here for a few days and it certainly is
some place People here arc awful nice
to the American soldiers Last night
another fellow and | met an old lady on
the street and she invited us TO her home
to sleep in her house and of course we
accepted and she wants us to come up
there and sleep every night Some bed
up there; "Oh, Joy. just like heaven"
after sleeping in trucks. 1t has been
pretty cold, but if the weather only
keeps dry we can get along pretty well,
as we have plenty of blankets. Well we
had a fairly good Thanksgiving dinner
to-day. OF course we can't expect a
whole lot on trip like this. 1t is quite
proposition to move an army ahead
with supplies and ALL
I think I have done well this time and
hope to be home next Thanksgiving. viii
close with beet regards to all and every.
body | know, and best wishes for a
merry Christmas and a happy New Year
to the whole family.
Wag. Ernest Il. Anderson,