Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1942-07-23
Page Five

4 way " Hdhc buc cOlS, SO Iney Will
all be alike. / live upstairs. There
are 81 men to barracks, besides
the cadre (non-commission officers) !.
After the beds are made=we sweep
and scrub the floor. At 545 we go
outside and fall in platoon forma-
tion until the bugler blows rcseille
and the sergeant tells the captain
| that everyone is present I. &c
! then dismissed until 6 a. M, for
breakfast.
The food is put on the table by
! the X. P.'s and it doesn't take 4
fellow long to learn to dive in CT he
doesn't get anything. Ct Isve been
K P. three times from 4 80 a. m
until at least a. m.-atout Is or
16 hours, and we aren't raid over
time), After breakfast we go back
tor tnegbarra c Ks Es-- :esd = ptrff on our leg
gings, belts and get our rifles and
bayonets ready. AT Gas a. m. we
are called out again and we march
about fourth OF mile to the pa
rade grounds where We have our
physical training. After that we
have bayonet drill for about 80
minutes. I've don't like bayonet
drill. | hope / may never have to
use it on anyone, not even Jap.)
Al @:i5 We are marched back to
the barracks for about a 10 min
ute rest. We fix, and put on our
combat packs and get ready for
again and We then march about
four to five miles and have combat
training. We are taught to at
tack. We learn how to fall by using
our guns as a brace when we fall
(There are lots Of rocks to fall on
too. We are taught to charge the
last 100 yards with fixed bayonets.
They use firecrackers and we have
to yell when We are running to scare
the enemy. After this training we
march back to camp and it is about
II, noon, by this time. We eat at
II and are called out again about
l p. m. We may do many things in
the afternoon. One afternoon we
were taught how to make BARB
wire entanglements, or we are
taught to take trees and make
derricks of them to use in making
bridges. Most of our work is to be
done under fire, but we are also
taught to fight if we have too.
The engineers are considered the
backbone of the army At about
4:30 we get back to the barracks
and then We change our clothes and
have dress parade retreat We get
back from that about 5:15, and
then we eat We have had mutton
four or five days every week since
| have been here. I'VE wonder
where all the beef and pork goes)
We get our mail after supper and
sure are glad to get the letters
even if we don't have much time 10
write. / always write my wife AMI
my mother letter every night and,
my friends in when l can.
/ then take shower and shave and
clean up. II ! have time | go to the.
show at the U. S. 0. That is the.
only nice thing we have at this
camp. Lights are out at 8: 80 p. m,
with bed check at II p. m.
We are about lao miles southwest
of st. Louis, Mo. There are no
towns of any size within 100 miles
There is one town eight miles from
camp, but it is small and all it has
are saloons, SO / haven't been down
to see it. l hope to get week end
pass soon and | will go to st. Louis,
and see some good shows and do a
little shopping. No one seems to
from any camp and it is hard to
get passes. We have rattle snakes
and copperheads around here, and
several of the boys got malaria
fever. There is a boy in my ward
now with it. His temperature has
been as high as 100.
My training period will be over
here the last of the month. | hope
| get more training before l have
TO go across. Eight weeks training
isn't very much, and l have spent
II days of that eight weeks in the
hOoPlldl. ASy QO SSuu SOM6 OIL Iuo
boys across and give them more
training over there. | hope l get to
a camp close to home.
This camp has about $4,000 men
in it. We are up in the Ozarks,
but they aren't really mountains
like one would suppose, but they
are fairly high. l don't think they
are near as pretty as the hills of
Morgan county.
Tell everyone at Sunday school
l said hello. and that l hope l can
soon go to Sunday school at Trinity
Methodist in McConnelsville. 1 have
received several letters, but I don't
have time to answer right back. 1t
has rained at least half the time I
have been here and when we do a
washing the clothes do not get very
dry. | have most of my clothes
washed. 1t costs $3.50 a month
/ guess | have told you about all
I can think of right now. l am sor-
ry all the boys are being called up.
hate to see them leave their
homes and friends even if they are
Just in camp, and never have to