Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 July 1918 — LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS [ARTICLE]

LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS

Stanley Brusnahan Writes of Trip Over. Mr. and Mrs. S. A. Brusnahan of near Parr have received letter from their son Stanley, who sailed about a month ago for the war zone. The letters follow: i En Route. Hb * Am getting near the end of the jo-urnety across the “pond.” The man that called it a pond, though, is badly mistaken. I wrote a longer letter a few days ago but am going to condense it on this page. Next day after I wrote my last card from camp we walked the gang plank. Jim didn’t leave with me. We have had a wonderful trip]thus far with a calm sea tor the most part. It was rather rough the third and fourth day out and about a third of the bunch got seasick. Some were very sick and looked sicker. I fared very well though and didn’t get at all sick. Fortyeight hours of incessant rocking did not affect my stomach. Some stomach, eh? Went to mass Sunday. Can you imagine a pile of rafts for an altar and all in attendance wearing life belts? Life belts are beginning to seem like a part of our clothing. Sea lions, a whale and several schools of firth have been seen en route. There was also some sort of water fowl all along the route. Reading, singing and playing cards has been our chief pastime. There were plenty of books furnished us by the Red Cross. Perhaps we haven’t traveled as comfortably as we,did on our last trip, bat I have enjoyed it very much just the same. I could write a volume easier than a few lines but won’t trouble the censor with it. Am feeling fine and have felt that way during the entire trip. STAN. x Somewhere in England, June 9, 1918. Dear Folks: The voyage is over all but the after effects. It was a very interesting trip but uneventful and tiresome. Nothing to do all the way but nevertheless we were a. tired

bunch when we landed. Our boat arrived at port one evening and. we unloaded next morning. We had reveille quite early and most of the bunch sang until then. I think I slept about an hour. After unloading we entrained for camp. The train trip was certainly fine. I saw some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. I never saw such grazing fields. The bluegrass was knee high. Hundreds of Shorthorn cattle I saw frotn the train. There are many odd things to be seen here. The street cars are ‘‘two story’’ and the railroad coaches are in small cqnrpa: tments. The freight cars reminded me of a “push car’’ with a box on it. We have had lots of laughs making purchases with English money. I know it pretty well now. Pennies are very numerous and also conspicuous, for they are as large as a half dollar. Am feeling fine; will write when I can, but, of course, you’ll get my letters irregularly. Must close for this time. With lots of love, I am CORP. STANILUS 8. BRUSNAHAN, 18th Prov. Ord. Depot Co., American Expeditionary Forces, O. D. N. A., via New York City. Joe Meehan Writes Home' from the War Zone. Joe Meehan, a brother of Mrs. Matt Worden of Rensselaer, and well known to many readers of The Democrat, especially at Rensselaer, Remington and Goodland, writes an interesting letter to home folks at Remington, with the request that it be given The Democrat, on which Joe used to be a type-sticker several years ago. Since then Joe has traveled all around the earth with various show troupes and circuses as a trap drrtmmer and being up in Canada a couple of years ago he joined a Canadian regiment and has since seen actual service at the front. Joe writes in the vernacular of the show traveler, and we publish his letter just as written, as it would not be recognized as typically “Joe’’ Otherwise: On active service with the British Expeditionary Forces. Somewhere in France. June 6, 1918, To Robert Emmett Meehan, Remington, Ind., U. S. A. Dear Mother, Brothers and Sisters and the rest of you all:—Received. your letter of May 4 O. K., and I must confess that Balcom lad is one regular “Go-to-He.H” with a typewriter, especially a Remington. Well I am fine and dandy and very glad to hear you are all the same. We are having great weather, also out on rest, but time taken up between inspections and field days, etc. . Old Heinie comes over on these moonlight nights and says, “Welcome to our city.” But our boys do the same, go it's an even “buck.” It soft of worries you though when he drops perhaps one-half dozen “eggs,” and then he seems to stick around in very close proximity as though he was taking an inventory. Then you smoke- a cigaret or two and wait for the next act. Us fellows sleeping outside had a few pieces of dirt drop around us one night, but you might as well be outside as in, as those “birds” frequently send “eggs” through the roof. He didn’t -play fifty-fifty on Corpus Christi day, as onr boys stayed away from his processions rather than (kill poor little kiddies all dolled up, but he comes over and bombs one of our hospitals. You can’t trust him. But that goes down on the slate against him, too. So never mind, it will all come out. This clipping* T ami enclosing is from the Paris edition of the Daily Mail. The town we had those band pictures taken in was shelled all to pieces, and this picture is a replica of the scores you see going along the road. I went out to buy some milk night before last and some refugees had just arrived, a wee baby in a baby buggy and a four-year-old girl in a wheel barrow, and the child was also sick. So I “shot” the milk to the kiddo and went and got some more. It isn't as if your house was on fire and you stood and watch it burn with all your stuff safe on the roadside. Far be it from such. It’s grab and git while the going’s good. It certainly is hard lines to have a war at your door for four years and then have to “beat it.” These people have got a great disposition. They certainly are workers and their crops look great. First warm spring they have had in three years. Old men, women and girls work the land and they are going from early morn until late at night; They certainly have got the “stick-to-it-tiveness.” Well I’ll forget the war for a couple of minutes. Bang!—a couple of peace notes just barked. We had Batt, sports one day and then Brigade sports three days after. ’Our Batt, tied with mother one for first honors. Then there is Division sports day to come, and final Corps day and all the Topliners are out. Some get leave for their prizes, others get money, and go gway satisfied. Last Tuesday was a gala day for fair. An American baseball team from an aviation camp close by came over and played a seVen-in-ning game with our lads, beating our lads by 5 to 2 in a real nice | game. Some good plays were made

and some ivory ones were to be seen on both sides. This pal of mine, Lieut. (Chick) Robinson, was the “Ump.” and gave satisfaction. But we were handicapped in the line of rooting as we are not “up” in the latest baseball vernacular; but we gave the opposing team credit wherever it was due. I was talking to one of the sergeants—he’s from Frisco —and he told me they got an awful cleaning up the week before, but didn’t say what team. Whem they stepped out of their Jorries we started “Yankee Doodle” and they acknowledged with a little gesture. All nice appearing and — I don’t know, there is something about a Yankee —he’s different. Those fellows stepped on our field modest, unassuming, as if it was an ordinary occurance. The pitcher was of the Ernest Fisher type when he was in his balmy days of ball playing. He was non-excitable and had the inevitable smile for the rooters. A little fellow playing short-stop-—he was also the co-median-introducing Charlie Chaplin stuff while running the bases, and getting away with it, too. They all were as nifty a bunch of fellows as I would want to meet — made you feel like old times. They were chock full of vim and that good old asset, confidence. But our boys made a good showing, especially as most of them have been “out here” close to two years, and you spend two winters out here and *’s bound to take some of the “pep” out of you. They were verywell pleased with their treatment and want another game as soon as possible. Our boys did a hard day’s grind the day before the game. I’ll detail the day’s doings for you, and we were with them, not playing, but “toting the shotguns” and the regulation battle regalia: Reveille 3:30 a. m.; breakfast 4 o’clock; “Fall in” 4:45; inspection, etc., and you’re on your way—nice and cool marching until about 10 o’clock, then “Old Sol” began to work. You rehearse field maneuvering all day- and start back at 6:10 p- m.; line up at your particular “beanery” at 9:30 p. imi.,after doing a good twelve-mile hike to and from. But, thank Christ, we’ve got a real colonel. Got his tuition in the Spanish-American war serving as a Lieut, at Porto Rico. Told me he got his education in Wisconsin. Colonel Carey is his name. He has got a line of chatter, too, and he gives concerned a square deal. Here is one he pulled the other day: He was talking to a bunch of N. C. O.’s and men explaining this and that, and in the course of his talk he says, “Now this is going to take brains and I know you Canadians have brains, judging from the line of talk I have heard in the Orderly Room the last two weeks” —meaning the different alibis the fellows put pp who had to say, “Good morning, Judge.” He’s been with us just a year this month. Real colonel, real Battalion. We are getting lots of rations put ini in U. S. A. now. We cam tell what firm the “bully beef” belongs to without seeing the box. I was over to -the store this morning and -w Libby, McNiel & Libby well represented. Liggett & Myers cigarets are : being sold at all canteens -oW. One sure thing, a firm wants to be careful what they send over for the boys to buy frolmi the canteens. You can’t give them “bunk” very long, because once you put it over they boycott your stuff and the canteens won't carry your junk in stock. You have to move canteens and Y. M.. C. A.’s on the double some times—same with canned fruit and milk. V j hud s me real U. ?. A baked beans for lunch last Monday —first we had as rations for a long time. Tasted mighty fine. Well, I’m not a pessimist or an optimist and I don’t expect to wear a peace liag this coming 4th of July, but the next one I hope to tell you some funny stories. So it’s “chow” time and imp to the roast beef and boiled spuds (without the jackets—l saw them re-pareing them at lunch time) and a concert for the lads at 6:30, then we’re at liberty until 5:45 a. m. So good luck and love to all and hello to any and all of my inquiring friends. —“JOE.” 760759 Bandsman Joseph Meehan, 54th Batt., B. E. F., France. ♦The clippings referred to show a picture of “French refugees saving their belongings from the iHuns. An every-day scene on the roads behind the battle line (Official).” And a picture of “A Big Chew of Real American Bacca at ‘End of Steel.’ These Canadians have just boarded a light railroad at the end of the steel, after holding Heine in the front line. The driver of the train is a member of the American Expeditionary Force, and he is shown offering the neighbours of his homeland a chew of tobacco, which was gratefully accepted.”