Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 204, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 September 1917 — Louis Putts Writes Concerning Work in Aviation Service. [ARTICLE]

Louis Putts Writes Concerning Work in Aviation Service.

Dear Editor: As I promised you to write a few lines about my work as a pupil in the United States aviation camp, will do so now. At present I am located at Camp Kelly, Santonio, Texas, at one of the largest aviation fields m the Unitec Statesi This camp is composed of 30,000 acres of land, all as level as a floor. On the west is the headquarters ofthedraftecfarmy and~a grand place.. On the east are the hangars and aeroplane field. On this field all aviators are given instructions in flying. Between the two are the detention camp and barracks for the different squadrons. Upon entering this camp aH men are put in the detention camp for ten days, to see if anyone contracts any contagious disease. If not we are released from quarantine and are then up for shipment. We are divided into squadrons, one hundred and fifty men to a squadron. Of course, there are different squadrons, such as repair squadrons, supply squadrons, construction squadrons, so on. Each squadron has twelve aeroplanes, so many fliers, mechanics, clerks, painters and carpenters. I am up for a commission now as a flier. I made my initial trip yesterday and was O. K. At any time of the day between sun-up or shin-down you never fail to see aeroplanes in the air, all the way from 500 feet in the air to above the clouds. Whenever you want to talk to a friend, you merely pass the remark, “Let’s get away from this noise,” and in you go. While I ant writing this there are dozens and dozens flying over my

head. The climate here is not and dry. It has rained only once since I have been here'and we all appreciated it. (n the evenings it is always cool. I lave been here two weeks and the wind has always been in the south or southeast. They say it hardly ever changes. _ The land is mostly black sand and very level. The main crop is cotton. Cotton this year is very poor on account of the drouth. I was in a big cotton field the first of the week and it was very poor. I picked some and am going to send it home to see if it will grow. Of course, there is ots of cactus and rattlesnakes here, but we hardly ever see any. I’ll never get bit, for the snakes lang around the woodpiles, and if there is anything I do not like, it is to cut wood. Well, I think I have written about all the interesting things there are to tell about the camp. The only thing I have to say in closing is that Uncle Sam will have one of the finest air fleets in the world even if I am one of the men. ———Regards to all, SGT. LOUIS PUTTS, 115 Aero Squad, South Santonio, Texas.