The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-01-22
THE PAPERS OF PRIVATE
PURKEY

0GdT MD.
Well from what I read in the
papers and hear on the raddio l
CESS the boys in the army are lot
cooler then the folks back home in
civilyun life. I hope you and pop
half not had a breakdown listening
to all them air raid warning tests
and trying to follow all the different
orders. The army has one thing on
the civilyun, it don't have to work
in so much confusion.
I got your letter about dad being
a air warden. I knew he wood want
to do his bit but half to laugh when
I think of him ordering anybody to
keep away from windows as he is
always in a window looking out
most of the time.
I wish you could realize what a
change has come over the boys here.
They now want to fight anywhere
and most anybody will do. But they
put Japs at the top of their list.
The more news we get about the
treacherous stuff at Pearl Harbor
and the brave work of our boys the
soarer we get. Sergeant Mooney
when he read about the Japs using
a two-man submarine said it was
probably no sub at all but just one
of them barrels they juggle in the
circus. And he says even two Japs
in sub would only be about half
man anyhow.
They serprised us all right but
they got serprise coming and how.
I just heard a definition of a isola-
ZIONIST. A isolationist is a fellow
who thinks a net under trapeSe is
foolish on account of he is only
spectator anyhow.
Well I see where the draft age
is to be extended to A which dis
poses of any idea I may get out
soon witch I don't want to do no
more anyhow. A few weeks ago I
was kicking like all the rest of the
boys and asking what was the sense
of all this time in army with no
body to fight but now that we got
more people fighting us at one time
than ever before it all is different.
You may laugh nom but this is
a fact that we amt been worrying
half about what happens to us in the
war lately as we been worried about
the folks back home with all them
mayors broadcasting orders at once.
I could picture you rushing around
shopping for sandbags and pop hav-
ing a fit because he couldn' t find out
how to shut off the gas in case of a
raid. Still you better follow instruc-
tions as best you can as nobody can
tell what may happen only ! wish
the mayors could be as calm as the
people. I tuned in one night when
Mr.. LaGuardia was talking. It was
such a cool calm talk I almost felt
the war was over but you could of
knocked me over with a feather
when he wound up his talk by say
ing: "Well, don't expect any at
tack TONIGHT. The weather is
unfavorable." What a crack that
was. I hope it did not scare you
any.
There is a lot of rumors around
camp and I think something is up,
but / don't know where we may
get sent Nothing would serprise
me and 1 don't care no more where
I go as long as it gives me chance
to do my bit for the greatest country
on earth. And I hope when we see
action it won't take no umpires to
find out who won.
Well take care of yourself, do not
| let those air raid hints scare you
too much and say prayer for me
now and then as this is the kind of
war when they will all be needed.
Your son,
THE INNER CALL
("Hitler says an inner call caused
him to take supreme command. -
News item.)
He orders this and orders that
He leaps into the newest brawl;
He RACES, acts or stands quite pat :.
According to "the inner call"
He hastens to his mountain place
Or leaves it with no word at all;
He gallops, or he slows his pace i. /.
Responding to ''the inner CALL"
He makes a plan, then cuts it out;
He quits the front to hire hall;
He turns from confidence to doubt.
It's all case of timer call"
Oh, on some future day he'll find
He's Dashed his head against the
wall;
The reason will then be defined :.
twas nothing but that 'inner
CALI"
''Both Germany and America had
depressions. But while German
experienced an immense regenera-
ton of labor, trade and art, Roose-
welt did not succeed in altering
anything. Adolf Hitler.
AS Elmer Twitche1 asks, ssWhat's
that guy smoking anyhow"
Elmer Twitchell says he under
stands that when the war hit thai
country the Wild Man of Bornec
hoisted the white flag, came in or
the run and asked protection from
civilization.