Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1942-10-15
LIEUT.. WALTER MAYES WRITES
FROM PACIFIC ISLAND

LIEUT.. WALTER MAYES WRITES
FROM PACIFIC ISLAND
The following letter was receiv-
| ed by Fred d. Coulson, from First
! Lieutenant Walter Mayes:
September 20, 1912.
Dear Mr.. Coulson: Just to prove
that everything is o. k, and
that I'm well and contented, I'll
try to drop you few lines.
We are on a southwest Pacific
island that almost makes the scenes
in the South Sea- movies look
sick. In fact, there is a spot with
in ten miles of our present loca-
tion that, I'm told, was used by
the various companies to 'shoot"
their scenes of the tropics. To-
morrow, the 21st. is to be our first
day of spring, believe it or not, but
you wouldn't realize it even if you
were here. The temperature hasn't
been below 70 degrees since we've
been here. We are told that it
never varies more than 25 degrees
the year round. 1t certainly is a
treat to be able to swim in absO-
lutte comfort in the dead of winter.
We arrived here in the middle OF
your summer and the middle of this
winter.
While we are located close to the
most civilized and populated part
of the island, it is still possible to
visualize what the place was like
before the whites moved in and
spoiled it. In fact, Fred, after see
ing the places we've seen and some
of the remnants of the past, I'm
convinced that the white men and
their money is the cause of all the
worlds troubles.
The natives, they all live in vii
lagos, scattered over the island, are
getting as greedy for the american
Dollar as most of us at home. They
don't realize it, but they are let
ting themselves in for terrible
headaches when they do. They ac-
tually don't or rather wouldn't have
to work day of their lives. Food,
that is of their type, grows any
where and everywhere Coconuts.
bananas, wild oranges and lemons,
grapefruit, pineapple and many
other fruits and vegetables that
are primarily native, grow like
weeds at home. All the natives
would have to do is go get them
and eat them. But, no, he'd much
rather connive in some manner to
get his hands on money, so he can
go to market and spend it. Money
1T still is the ''root of all eviI.'
Just had pleasant interruption.
Some of the boys, went fishing to-
day. They fried them, and with
French fried potatoes they sure did
go good.
From the number of men they
are taking from the county and
those that are leaving for jobs, /
take it that things are tough and
getting tougher as far as business
is concerned. I'm afraid that small
towns are going to be hurt beyond
repair before this is over.
Be that as it may, the little
towns, like M. & NJ, as backward
as they are, in the good cole u. S.
A." are too far ahead of the large
cities on this side of the world for
Without any doubt,
Fred, any sacrifices that you back
home are asked to make and any
that we are called on to make
should and must be made. Our
and government with all
It's faults and inefficiencies is by
far, on any basis, the greatest
place on earth in which to be born.
AS I write this I can truly thank
God that all who mean anything
TO me are there and that they'll
stay there, come what may.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe
your sons "Goody' has volunteered
and that DR.. Austin is to enter the
service soon. If by the time you
receive this, the above is correct,
give them nay regards and tell them
wish them the very best Of luck.
In fact tell all those we both know,
that do not read this, said hello,
and to drop me a line. I'm a poor
but letters are big
help. In fact pay "call" has taken
4 back seat for mail "call." While
It's quite job for any of us to sit
down and write, you can't quite
imagine how much more of a job il
Is for us over here. Well, Fred,
I've rambled on and on without
saying much, so may as we'll quit
So long, Walter.
My address: 1st 1t. Walter
Mayes, O-403131, A. T. Co. 145th
Inf, A. P. o. 81, care Postmaster,
San Francisco, California.