"I have not yet received any letters from you, but expect
some most any day. None of our company has heard from
home yet. I believe it is on account of the fact that the
mail is held, until the different units have reached a permanent
camp, where their mail can be sent to them. Well, we are getting
along very well here. We have barracks and cots to sleep on and
the weather never is very cold.
"I met Lieutenant Darby the first thing after I arrived
in France. He looked me up. I was so surprised, I nearly forgot
to
salute him, but he said I did not have to. Of course, we
had quite a chat. He is in the Medical Department of the Aviation
Corps, but is not in the same camp with us now.
"We are not a long way from the front now, and expect
to go into training very soon. I will not be able to write anything
in the line of news, as everything is strictly censored."
April, 1918, France.
"I am enjoying good health, and have good quarters,
and plenty to eat. The war may last a long time yet, as you,
no
doubt, can realize from such news as you receive in America.
"The censorship of letters is not relaxed and won't
be as long as the war lasts, and anything in the line of news
that would
be of interest, would no doubt never be received by you,
so will have to cut it short.
"If you send any boxes, put in plenty of Camel's cigarettes
and tobacco.
"I was promoted to Sergeant duty on March 1.
"At any time I may be transferred to some other unit
of branch of the service. I may have a chance to be assigned
to
Automatic Rifles which would be very satisfactory to me,
but it takes a lot of study to get this assignment.
"Well, I hope you get this and it finds grandmother
better."
France, April 4, 1918.
"I have received your letter of February 4, in which
you asked about the package. Yes, I have received it and was
very
grateful for it. The tobacco came in just right and the candy
was good.
"We will be in the trenches very soon now, but still
have some hard training before us. The weather is fine here except
a
little damp. We have good quarters and everything we need
to get by with. You asked if I had seen any of the Brodhead boys
over here. No, I have not as I have always been away from large
cantonments where they are camped.
"I am enjoying the best of health and so is the rest
of the company. I think most of us will be able to speak fairly
good
French before we get back. It is necessary every place we
go.
"I received a letter from a gentleman at Broadview,
Montana, saying that I had been picked out as his Sammy in France
to whom he could send things to eat and also jolly up a bit
once in a while. I thoroughly appreciate this, and, as he had
asked your address, I will give you his, so that you also may
thank him for his kindness."
France, May 21, 1918.
"I have had an eight day sojourn in the trenches on
the front line, and outside of losing a little sleep am as good
as ever.
We had a gas alarm, but no gas, which, I believe turned out
fortunate for us. I have been on patrol in no man's land, which
is quite an experience, but I did not meet up with any Boche.
"I have not been under direct shell-fire, but have been
very near to some. I also know the sound of machine-gun bullets
and can duck my head as good as anyone. We see aeroplanes
bombed every day and they are often shot down.
"My general health is very good, and we are well billeted
when in rest."