The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1943-05-13
Snakes, Lizards.
Bugs in South. !
Bother II. Keene
Says poverty beyond
description alongside
ten-acre lawns

Dear MIR. Reed: 2#z-.1f II
Still looking forward to each
issue of the paper. reread the
last three issues while on the train
to my new home. I had pleasant
surprise through one of your let
tiers from the men in the service,
1t was the means for Max Sloan
and myself to hold a reunion
Max is the first Kennewicker I've
seen in the service since / left
FIT. Lewis, almost year ago.
1 left Westover a week ago, and
was glad to get out of there. It
was about to turn into spring, but
1 wouldn't have been surprised to
have seen it showing at anytime
have seen it showing at any time.
How farmers can raise anything,
let alone tobacco, is more than my
mind can imagine. I've often
heard there were four seasons, but
the Bay State has only two
December and July.
The trip south was of much in
terest to me, because of the change
in weather and scenery from the
lifeless brown of Massachusetts, to
the green of the South. AS we
moved down, the fields were being
worked more and more. saw the
Negroes working as speedless as
their overseers and mules would
let them, tilling and working in
the tobacco fields. / saw families
living in sheds that / wouldn't
raise poor chickens in or use as
hog shed. They were filthy, run
down shackS with holes in the
roofs and burlap or cardboard in
the windows. I saw few of the
old Southern style dwellings with
the high columns and moss COW
cred trees in the ten acres of front
lawn. Through Georgia and Flor
ida the swamps became more
dense with trees and bushes, lilies,
flowers and perhaps snakes.
I'm living in tent with no
wooden sidewalks or floor and can
vas cots to sleep on, with all
forms of snakes, lizards, bugs and
spiders to liven things up, Some
of. the men carry and sleep with
sharp implements at all times. A
piece of black rubber hose waved
over the shoulder at the same time
the word snake in loud tone OF
voice brings on a lot of action from
the right people.
Oak and pine seem to be the
main trees around here. AS for
civilization and it's environment
on us is very slight as the nearest
large city is Tampa about 100 miles
south of us. I'm located about Is
miles inland from the Gulf with a
65-foot elevation in that distance
The often-fought-over Florida
ship canal is a couple miles away,
with nothing but big ditch and
a few puddles of water in it. -
The weather is very hot and
somewhat dry, although when the
rains come it precipitates in hard,
fast bursts and hail the size OF
a nickel in it at times. What is
strange about it is that the rain
is almost the same temperature as
the hot air and hail is mixed in it.
At night it cools off and is very
comfortable for a good sleep.
Swimming and horizontal en-
ginering have been the main
sports around here. So far the
grub has been very good with
plenty of it, but sometimes too
much. CT soap is left on some of
the utensils and you know what
that means. ,
Before closing 1 want to thank
your agoin for the paper.
Sincerely yours,
SGT. HARVEY S. KEENE,
1874 ALB Eng. Avn. Co.
Dunnellon Air Field
Dunnellon, Florida.