USA > Wisconsin > Racine County > Racine county in the world war > Part 38
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about my medical examination after dinner. I did. He knew what I wanted, but he asked me and when I told him I wanted to enlist he said, "Get the hell out of here; Sunday is no day to enlist." Out I went and felt foolish. 1 walked to another camp, that of the 16th infantry. I saw the boys drilling and it looked grand and I sure wanted to join that army. I asked a sentry where to join the army and he directed me to the colonel. I got another warm reception. He said I just came there to eat and to get out. Then I felt awfully anxious to get in, and wandered to a company street and asked the first sergeant if I couldn't enlist. He said the army was full. Then as I was going away he called me back and gave me a slip of paper, telling me to see the captain because somebody might have resigned from the army Saturday night and left a vacancy. I went to the captain, ex- pecting some more trouble, but he was a nice man. He asked me a few questions and told me the sunny and shady sides of army life. The shady side was the worst. He sent me to a doctor. After being examined, I raised my right hand while somebody said something and then I was in the army. I had the articles of war read to me, and then I knew I couldn't get out. The next thing was clothes and when I got them it looked as if I was thrown into them. The blouse and breeches would have fit Fatty Arbuckle and the shoes were two sizes too large. That didn't bother me, be- cause I was very proud of that uniform: be- lieve me, 1 was a button buster. I was drilled for three weeks. The sergeant detailed to drill me was a bear and he had another re- cruit along with me. When he told us to go by the right flank, one would go one way, the other another. 1 can still see that sergeant rave, telling us we were not out on the farm plowing corn or walking with our girls. We were in the army, on the inside looking out. No doubt we were. After being made fit to drill with the company I was detailed for guard and thought it was something grand. I worked two days cleaning my equipment. At the guard mount, the adjutant came along and took my rifle as if I had stolen it from hin, and gave it back the same way. After in- specting all of us he came back and asked me my name and told me to report to the com- manding officer for orderly. . I did, and found it was the colonel, the last man I wanted to sce. I was shivering all over. It was worth it, though, because I didn't have to walk post and all I had to do was take orders from him and watch his tent. My experiences as a recruit were quite interesting. I would be glad
WORLD WAR
to go through them all again to get out of the army. Since then I have had many interesting experiences in Hawaii, Philippines, Japan and Russia, where I am stationed now. I will never regret the time I have spent in the army, but when I set my feet on American soil I sure will keep them there.
Sgt. M. O. Lawson, Hqts. No. 2, Gen'l Train- ing Dpt., Hancock-When I read of what Racine is doing for the Jackies, it makes me feel proud to know that the city which I can claim as my home is doing so much active work pertaining to the war. I haven't seen the final report of Liberty bond sales at the Case Company, but I understand the Company is going to make another splendid record. There's very little of the unusual going on at Hancock. We're still in quarantine with the flu pretty well checked. The climate at present is quite agreeable, which has prevented a spread of the disease to a great extent. As you know this is an exclusive Machine Gun School, the only one in the U. S. Almost every state is represented in the personnel. A good many Hancock boys are in France with their machine guns, holding back, or I should say driving back the Huns. If the war doesn't end too soon, will get one little fling at the game. We're all ready.
Harry J. Norgaard, Co. 713, Unit T., Hamp- ton Roads-We have it nice out here in old Virginia. Was quite hot down here last week, but it has cooled off some here of late. They allow us shore leave every Saturday and Sun- day from 1 P. M. to 1 o'clock midnight, and also one night a week from 6:15 P. M. to 1 o'clock midnight. We spend our shore leave at Norfolk or Ocean View. Ocean View is a bathing beach here. Great life bathing down there in the deep blue sea, but the only trou- ble is the salt water. If you want some real salt water, just open your mouth and swallow some of it. There are many things of inter- est here, such as battleships "sub" chasers, tor- pedo boat destroyers, observation balloons and aeroplanes. We also have moving pictures here in the auditorium every Monday and Thursday, and every other Friday we have boxing bouts. Understand the Battery Boys are on the front now. There is a good bunch of boys there and they certainly will do their share for our Land of Freedom. If the Amer- ican and French keep at it the way they are going now, Kaiser Bill won't last much longer.
L. T. Baltzer, Camp Perry, U. S. N. Y., Puget Sound, Wash., Sept. 24, 1918-I am in the aerial mechanics school now. There are
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about six hydroplanes here, and we all get a chance to show what we can do. Big camou- flage boats come in here every week and take about 150 to 200 sailors out. At present we are quarantined on account of the flu, but we hope to regain our liberty before long. We have quite a camp here now; it is comprised of tents. There are a few sleeping buildings made of wood. There are about 8,000 men here. Six months ago there were about 2,000 men here, so you can readily see the growth of this camp. Well, I must close, or you will think I am taking up too much of your valu- able time.
John B. Etteldorf, Great Lakes, Ill., Oct. 23, 1918-I don't suppose you know who is put- ting Chicago on the map in this Liberty Loan Campaign. It is the sailors of Great Lakes. We had a big subscription at the station, and they have called upon us to do the same in Chicago. I spent Monday and Tuesday in sell- ing bonds in Chicago. Our regiment made the biggest selling showing of the bunch, and our company had the record of selling the most bonds of our regiment. We sold $17,000 worth of bonds yesterday. We had 18 hours' liberty yesterday, so I feel rather tired today.
Charles Lampe, 58th Balloon Co., Aviation Branch, Morrison, Va .- I have been trans- ferred to the 58th Balloon Co., and sure was glad to get out of Texas. We are five miles from Newport News and believe me, this is some camp now. We have received our new overseas clothing and side arms, also helmets and they sure are heavy. Wish you could see the trains on the Chesapeake & Ohio R. R. loaded with troops that passed here yesterday. Counted 22 cars all going across. Was to Newport News last night and saw the trans- ports. Train loads of auto trucks, mules, coal and airplanes all go across from here. There are camps all along here, but this one is sure a large one.
Fred A. Sewall, Prd. Detach No. 139, Sept. 9, 1918-There is a rumor here that we are to leave here very soon. Nobody can tell me exactly when, but they all say very soon. Part of the division has already moved. We are confined to the regiment and have no chance to do much visiting, but as I have been able to travel on the trucks to and from the warehouse, 1 see something and hear more. The general idea is that we are to go to a port of embarkment and then, of course, across. Everybody is glad to get away from this place, as the majority of them have been here nearly a year. I know that I will, with only three weeks to give my opinion. This
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may not be the worst camp in the U. S., but they will have to go some to beat it, accord- ing to my belief.
Pvt. Wm. A. Alcorn, 3rd Co., U. S. A. Tr. Dtch, Kansas City, Mo .- We fellows here are asked by the Missouri people to be sure to get "The Kaiser's Goat." We 2,000 Wisconsin boys in the Q. M. C. won't be content with the goat, what we are after is "Old Bill" himself and WE ARE GOING TO GET HIM.
Harry E. Cooper, 3d Pro. Rert. Rgt., Camp Kelly Field No. 1, Line L, Dec. 19, 1917-I am here in the land of lizards, cactus, scrub oak and snakes. We eat them all. Can you imagine me eating chuck out of an army mess kit? Well, I do both and am getting to be an expert. In this man's army they show you what's who. This is a great relief from Jef- ferson Barracks, Mo. No snow or cold, just sand and sun. Aeroplanes flitting above over- head like birds. There are about 500 here now. I just heard first call for mess. Excuse me. (Twenty minutes later): Some feed. Hot dogs and kraut, and real honest to goodness butter, stewed peaches and tea; second help- ing for me. Most of the fellows are on fatigue duty today, digging trenches for a water line. Who, me? I'm on K. P. (kitchen police) peel- ing spuds and onions. They bring tears to your eyes. We are to have liver and onions for supper.
Edward H. Johnson, Battery E. 36th H. F. A., Camp Mcclellan-Most of the boys in our battery are from all over Wisconsin, and a few from New York state. They sure are one fine bunch of fellows. One of our old shop mates, Tony Moudry, is in our battery. We have been here since the 16th of August, and yesterday, the 27th, was the first day we have had of drilling. All of our officers are new graduates, and the non-commissioned of- ficers are just attending school, so we have had no one to drill us. I myself have not done any drilling. I have been working in the supply tent, but expect I will have to drill after we get things straightened out. This is a very dreary and lonesome camp, here amongst the mountains. We have mountains on all sides of us, and there is no town around here except a little town called Anniston. It is a fair-sized town with a population of about 18,000 people, seven miles from camp, so not very easy to get to. There are automobile busses running between town and camp, but you can't rely upon them for service. Well, I think I will have to close as it is almost time for taps, so will have to roll in.
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Sgt. Geo. Hanson, Co. 5, 2 Bn., 160 D. B., Camp Custer, October 9, 1918-I have been in the service eleven months, but have, so far, done nothing toward knocking h- out of the Hun, except to help in the drilling of new recruits. Think I will be going over with the next division as I have been transferred to the Chemical Warfare Service. The boys tell me 1 am where I belong because I sure have the gas.
Walter T. Larsen, 8th Div., 1st Sec., Co. 10, 2nd M. M. Regt., S. C .- You were saying that you would like a vacation. Well, you can swap places with me for a week or two, and I guess we will both be getting a vacation. Some fellows think that when they get in the navy all they do is eat and sleep, and I was no exception, but 1 have found out dif- ferent. There is more work on one of those ships than I imagined. If you're not scrubbing deck or polishing bright work, you are wash- ing clothes, drilling, etc., and 1 sometimes wonder how I find time to sleep. I am getting pretty well hardened up, though. 1 could string out a rope and put a blanket over me and go to sleep now. I am not the least bit particular about my sleeping accommodations, as long as I get the time to sleep. My pal, the fellow who joined with me, is still with me, and we manage to keep together, so between reading each other's letters and papers we are kept well posted on Racine affairs. You should see us now. Before we left we were pale look- ing pieces of humanity, but now we look tanned from head to foot, which shines like a nigger's heel. We have also learned to move faster. I had thought I was a speedy fellow at home, but now find that I am too slow for the gold braids here, at least it looks that way when one gets to bawling you out, and believe me, you move quick then. It seems to fill you with life, if you weren't you sure would be out of luck.
Edward Daleski, B. H. No. 133, Camp Sheri- dan-That Spanish "flu" is sure fierce down here. I have been doing K. P. for two weeks now because they are short of help. I start at 6 A. M. and work until I get thru, some- times 8 P. M., sometimes later, then hide somewhere or they put me on guard for the evening, 2 hours on and 4 off. They are short of men here as most of cur company is sick. They don't care how hard you work in the day- time, but call you out at night for special hurry-up jobs such as putting up tents, help- ing feed the sick and lots more too numerous to name. It's work that has to be done and done in a hurry for our own good. There are
THE WORLD WAR
five fellows in a tent; four of my tent mates were taken sick, one died Friday and was sent home today, the other three are still in the hospital. I think I am well off and glad that I am able to do the work rather than be sick.
Pvt. George H. James, Hq. Co., 341st Inf., Camp Grant-I had the pleasure to listen to Secretary of War Baker, on the Fourth of July. He addressed his remarks to the boys of the 86th Division, of which we are a part. We are expecting to go overseas in the near future. I am in what is called the Pioneer Platoon. We are chiefly engaged in building dugouts and wire entanglements. Of course, we are expecting to get a few of the Huns as well. On Saturday the 13th we passed in re- view before the Governor of Illinois, after- ward we had the pleasure of hearing a pa- triotic address by one of the French captains, and also by Governor Lowden. The food we are getting here is A1, thanks to the people at home who have, and are still conserving for our benefit. We are getting intensive train- ing, but we don't mind that if we can only get a crack at the Kaiser.
Pvt. Paul Rossman, Army Attach. Barracks, Charleston, Sept. 25, 1918-I received your kind package and thank you for it. I am in the city now as military police. 1 was to leave here a few weeks ago and was taken off the list just because 1 was born in Germany, and I have my papers 14 years. They have many slackers here, most all colored. Lots of them failed to register last week, so they are busy rounding them up.
Harry Miller, 142 Aero Sq., A. E. F., Eng- land, March 23, 1918-We had a very good trip coming over, but was sick all the way. Oh, what a feeling. I never thought the At- lantic was as big as it is. 1 met Skinny Meyers before going over. We were on the same boat. I am working on aeroplane motors over here, boy, and believe me it is something very interesting. This sure is some queer country. You have to drive on the left side of the road, it seems funny. And the money over here is the funniest thing you ever saw in your life. We have more darned fun. This is a very pretty country; everything is nice and green. There is only one thing I don't like about it and this is it gets so foggy at night, and it's that just about until noon. And it's so damp during the night. We are stationed in a very good place. We go to work in trucks. It's about nine miles from camp to where we work. We are allowed to go to town every other night and all day
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U. S. Official Photos
A "BUSTED" GERMAN TANK AND CAPTORS; 57th F. A. BRIG. HEADQUARTERS
The wrecked German fighting machine was knocked galley-west by a well placed shell, probably from some of the 57th Brigade artillery. At the left is a figure illustrating what the nifty Yanks looked like when up front. Below is Maj. James W. Gilson and a bashful hero, in front of the "preten ious" field headquarters building.
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Wednesday. We work Sundays over here and have Wednesday off. Today is the first real day we have had since we landed. The sun was shining when we got out this A. M. It's just like a day in June.
Sept. 12, 1918-We have changed station. We are now located a million miles from no- where. And it sure is some place, I don't think. It rains ncarly all the time, and talk about wind; why, say, the wind is blowing here to beat the band, day and night. Before we moved to this place I had some ride, be- lieve me. We were up for about 2 hours and what that fellow didn't do wasn't worth do- ing. If you want something that makes your hair stand up you want to get up about ten thousand feet and come straight down for about 2 or 3 thousand. You think you are done for. The funniest feeling I had was when we went into a loop and came out of it O. K., then did the wing over wing. Another one is side slipping. You go along for awhile, then stall your motor and float sideways, that sure is sport. I only wish that I was a pilot. We are getting very good food and plenty of it, so we haven't any kick coming.
Pvt. Harold Helding, Co. C, 27 Engrs., A. E. F., Oct. 10. 1918-I have been very slow in answering you, but I have been at the front in the big drive and didn't have anything to write, as the boys say it don't pay to stop the war to write letters. I was detached to the French army, and we were sleeping in our little dog tents up in a big hill in a woods, and we didn't get a chance to change our clothes for seven weeks. When we got back to our company they gave us a week to clean up and boil our old clothes, and we were issued all new clothing, as we were full of lice and all such tame bugs. We sure had some excit- ing times as the shells were whistling over our heads most all the time, and every night the planes would come over and drop bombs down to us and, of course, the first few nights we didn't do much sleeping. But that is all in the game, and we wouldn't have missed those seven weeks at the front, and I didn't like to leave it as there is plenty of excitement all the time.
Pvt. Bernhart P. Larson, Bat. A, 332 F. A., A. P. O. 778, A. E. F., Oct. 23. 1918-We landed in England and stayed a few days. We rode across England one day on the train and marched one day. That was the toughest day I ever put in. We crossed the English Channel at night. Then we were on the train for two days and nights and finally landed up here. We
are in a camp somewhere near Bordeaux. I have met but one fellow that I knew on the entire trip and that was Tommy Berg. I met him on board ship and over in a camp in Eng- land. It is warm here yet, but it rains nearly every day. We get plenty of Bull Durham and some brands of American cigarettes. The French tobacco and pills are rotten, and I would rather swear off smoking than use them, and we don't get as much candy as we did in the states. It is almost a luxury here.
Pvt. J. R. Frank, 29th Co., C. E. F., A. E. F., France-Well, Jack, the Germans certainly made an awful mess of this district. Every building is leveled to the ground, roads are blown up, every tree cut down and entire country dug up with trenches and dugouts. Of course, we helped to tear things to pieces with shells and mines in driving them out. I transferred to a Forestry Corps and we are now gathering the fallen timbers and sawing them into lumber suitable for roads, dugouts, bridges, etc. The limbs and small stuff we make into cordwood for camps and stakes for wire entanglements. Being very close to the lines it can be taken in at night with motor trucks and mule teams. A couple of shells dropped near us last night. Have had lots of shells sent over and a few air raids at night, but the mill has not been hit and we have not lost any time through it. We lose a great deal of time changing saws, as the trees are full of shrapnel, very hard on saws.
Chaplain F. S. Penfold, 121st F. A., Alsace, July 1, 1918 -- As usual the regiment is scat- tered all around, each battery in a different village and the firing sections up in front.
I go round from place to place, like any other itinerant person and, of course, when anything serious is started, it is my duty to try to get to that place. I am the only abso- lutely free parson at the front. The Chaplain can't be sent into the front line, but neither can he be forbidden to go there. So if I am not present when the excitement is on, it will be an accident.
You know that we are in billets here and some of the arrangements would be comical if they were not something else. Most of the men have nice clean hay lofts to sleep in and are fairly comfortahle. But the French are very casual and promiscuous in their barnyard arrangements. The stable is usually a con- tinuation of the house. So that under one roof are pigs and chickens and cows and horses and human beings. I mention the humans last be- cause their convenience is the last consulted. Part of the front garden of every French
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farmer is a large pestilent manure heap highly prized by the owner. Of course, it means re- newed fertility for hardworked soil, but it never occurs to them that it might be kept in some less prominent situation. One wonders why the Lord gave noses to the French.
I am billeted in a town of some size- about 400 I should say. I have a large room which is very clean and decent and comfort- ahle. There is a good big bed with a straw mattress as hard as Pharaoh's heart, and upon it is an enormous feather bed about two feet thick with which I am supposed to cover my- self. It is evident my landlady's most pre- cious possession, being covered with a slip of marvellous ornamentations. So, I haven't the heart to ask her to give it to the flourishing family of rabbits which occupies the apart- ment beneath my own. Instead I carefully replace the thing on the bed in the morning, rumpling it judiciously to simulate usage and the kind soul thinks I smother under it nightly. It is rather slim pickings here in the matter of food and not at all like Brittany, where the food was plenty. My landlady is allowed one pound of sugar per month and if I do not provide her with that and coffee I should have to look elsewhere for breakfast. Officers' messes are very expensive. I am eating where 1 happen to be with the men, because I am rarely at my billet for more than breakfast.
The country about here is the most beauti- ful I have ever seen. Every wind is laden with the sweet odor of hay and of rose and carnations-the latter are smaller than ours and less violent in color, but very fragrant. But, in the midst of all this beauty is the grim evidence of the deadly struggle that is going on. We have to carry our gas masks with us all the time and those for the horses strapped across their poor fly bitten noses. Really, in the midst of life, we are in death. I think everyone is actually more serious here. I have observed that the closer we have drawn to actual conflict, the more thoughtful the men have become. But there is a strange elation that goes with it which is in everyone's ex- perience. By means of it, men can be serious, yet blithe-collected, yet gay. It is that, I suppose, which makes good soldiers that they are. Men have pledged their all to the thing and so have discounted in advance whatever is terrifying. And that makes them care free. As the men say when everything is comfortable and meals come regularly, "It's a fine war." So it is. The best ever. And a marvellous thing for developing character in the younger generation of America.
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Corp. William Kuehneman, Battery F. 121st F. A., France, Oct. 1, 1918- July 21 we en- trained at Belfort and we knew we were go- ing to a place where the real war was, but no one knew just where we were bound for. At last we were at Chateau-Thierry where the big drive was on. Here we hiked four days and nights to catch up with the infantry, as they were advancing so fast. Some days we'd only get two or three hours' sleep and that would be on the ground some place along the road. Well, we finally did catch up to them and pulled into our first position at night. When we woke up in the morning the captain said, "Get ready to move." The doughboys had taken the place which we had intended to shoot up. That afternoon we started and while on the road four German airplanes came directly over us and only about 50 yards above us and opened up with their machine guns. But the fellows fired right back at them with rifles and pistols and anything they had. They finally flew away and nobody was hurt. After moving up from one position to the other for three or four days, the drive came to a halt- that is, we had reached our objective. Here we stayed for 21 days and everything went well for the first week. On a nice, bright Sun- day morning we got a good touch of war. The Germans located us and they sure did send them over to us for about an hour. Then everything was quiet until the afternoon and the same thing came again. We were located in a ruined village packed with horses and men. When everything was over, there were about 100 horses dead and 100 wounded and a few men killed and wounded. Then about every other day we got the same thing for the length of our stay there. We sure were a happy bunch when we were relieved from this front. Our division at this front chased the Germans 18 kilometers. The fields were covered with dead, but mostly Germans. From here we marched to Soissons and this was a tougher front than Chateau-Thierry. When we pulled into one position we were only a few hundred yards behind the infantry. Here we got both a shower of machine gun bullets and high explosives. Some of the horses were killed by direct hits and nothing was left of them at all. I sure had some thrilling ex- periences here, only they are too numerous to mention. But I'll tell you about them some day. At Alsace I was a messenger and since we left there I've been a telephone operator and lineman. Of course, that's nothing in the line of pushing a bayonet through a man or shooting him, but if it wasn't for communica-
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