TRANSCRIBED FROM THE NEWPORT DAILY INDEPENDENT FEBRUARY 20, 1919 P. 2
Am glad, my dear father, to get your letter, which I received at noon today, (January 20th.) From its date of October 21st, the letter was about three months in reaching me.
I am well and having a very good time. Am still at Coblenz, and from the looks of things will be here for some time to come. We had a good show here in our recreation room last night given by the 128th Infantry of the 32nd Division, and we enjoyed it very much. We are going to fly the balloon here tomorrow in Coblenz, or just out of town, and if I thought it would carry me home, I’d cut the ropes and take a trip in the air—or any other old way just to get home. We are having very good weather; have had only one snow which lasted only two or three days. I don’t think it will be severely cold here this winter—hope it won’t any way, as we have to live out of doors. Dad, it may be a long time before I can come home, but when I do I can tell you lots of things you’ve never heard of. Will close, with love to all.
Yours truly, your only son,
Oran M. Brabbzson,
First Balloon Company, A.E.F., France.
NOTES: The partial letter was written by Oran Milton Brabbzson of Tuckerman, Arkansas. He was writing to his father George of the same town. Brabbzson was born in Newport, Arkansas on December 2, 1890 and died on May 13, 1968. He is buried in the Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona. His military headstone identifies him as an Arkansas Private serving in the US Army during World War I. He enlisted on March 17, 1918 and was discharged on June 21, 1919. He departed Newport News, Virginia on April 22, 1918 onboard the Siboney. He was serving as a Private in Balloon Detachment No. 8 Aviation Section Signal Corps. He departed Brest, France on May 23, 1919 onboard the Ancon. He was serving as a Private in 1st Balloon Company.
TRANSCRIBED BY LINDA MATTHEWS
Am glad, my dear father, to get your letter, which I received at noon today, (January 20th.) From its date of October 21st, the letter was about three months in reaching me.
I am well and having a very good time. Am still at Coblenz, and from the looks of things will be here for some time to come. We had a good show here in our recreation room last night given by the 128th Infantry of the 32nd Division, and we enjoyed it very much. We are going to fly the balloon here tomorrow in Coblenz, or just out of town, and if I thought it would carry me home, I’d cut the ropes and take a trip in the air—or any other old way just to get home. We are having very good weather; have had only one snow which lasted only two or three days. I don’t think it will be severely cold here this winter—hope it won’t any way, as we have to live out of doors. Dad, it may be a long time before I can come home, but when I do I can tell you lots of things you’ve never heard of. Will close, with love to all.
Yours truly, your only son,
Oran M. Brabbzson,
First Balloon Company, A.E.F., France.
NOTES: The partial letter was written by Oran Milton Brabbzson of Tuckerman, Arkansas. He was writing to his father George of the same town. Brabbzson was born in Newport, Arkansas on December 2, 1890 and died on May 13, 1968. He is buried in the Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona. His military headstone identifies him as an Arkansas Private serving in the US Army during World War I. He enlisted on March 17, 1918 and was discharged on June 21, 1919. He departed Newport News, Virginia on April 22, 1918 onboard the Siboney. He was serving as a Private in Balloon Detachment No. 8 Aviation Section Signal Corps. He departed Brest, France on May 23, 1919 onboard the Ancon. He was serving as a Private in 1st Balloon Company.
TRANSCRIBED BY LINDA MATTHEWS