TRANSCRIBED FROM THE POCAHONTAS STAR HERALD JUNE 21, 1918 P. 3
June 15, 1918,
Editor Star Herald:
I kindly ask you for space in your dear old paper which I have read so many time in my dear old home, located near the Elevenpoints river.
It gives me the greatest pleasure to take this opportunity of writing to the loved ones back-home, for the first time since I have been preparing to fight for your freedom and for our country and dear old flag, which is waving as it never waved before.
I am so glad to know that you people are putting forth all efforts to help the boys in brown to come out victorious, to win this great great struggle which we are facing. Let us put our shoulders to the wheel and keep things moving, so that we may come out not only victorious, but heroes of the world. No doubt you are taking things more serious than your soldier boys are, for when we think that we are going to get to go across, it only gives us better spirits, for we realize that the time is coming that instead of us drilling and marching to the sweet music of our bands, we will be parading through the streets of Berlin while peace is being signed on the drum heads in the palace of Kaiser Bill. I can look to the future tonight with happiness as I sit writing by the dim light of a burning candle. All we ask of you is to give us food and we will do the rest. Often, as we gather on the parade grounds by the thousands, we can easily see that the allied countries of Europe are going to be protected by the arms of freedom and by the helping hands of a nation that stands so strong today that all the bombs of Germany cannot even start her to defeat. As we pass our commanding officers in line of companies with the band playing and the Stars and Stripes waving over our heads, no doubt it would make the blood of the worst slacker boil with the spirit of their forefathers of ’61. Dear people, without your help we can do nothing, so come, let us all get in the game and play a trump card and save ourselves and our friend nations from the claws of brutality, from stings and distress of a nation that is trying to bring the world down into shame and disgrace.
We have been having lots of practice with the machine guns and as we are shooting, “mowing down trees like so many weeds, the report of the guns would almost sing the words, “there will be victory over yonder.”
The officers check quarters at 10:45 each night, to see that the boys are all in, as they are supposed to be in bed at this time. Sometimes the boys want to stay out later than this, so he puts a lot of things in his bed and pulls the cover over them so the officer will think he is in bed. The soldiers work many schemes to get in by the army. He often takes a sick head ache, a bbill or a pain in his side to keep from doing extra duty or going on Kitchen Police.
There are some over-three hundred in our mess hall, and if you could see us eat you would suggest that the Case Threshing Machine Company should manufacture an extra large size separator with a cylinder as large accordingly, to thresh navy beans.
I wish to say before I close that we boys are liking our jobs fine and are more than anxious to get a whack at “Kaiser Bill,”
Hoping that we will come out victorious and be back with you all in the near future. I am your soldier friend.
William E. Bryan
154th M. G. Co. C.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY STEPHANE LECOINTE
June 15, 1918,
Editor Star Herald:
I kindly ask you for space in your dear old paper which I have read so many time in my dear old home, located near the Elevenpoints river.
It gives me the greatest pleasure to take this opportunity of writing to the loved ones back-home, for the first time since I have been preparing to fight for your freedom and for our country and dear old flag, which is waving as it never waved before.
I am so glad to know that you people are putting forth all efforts to help the boys in brown to come out victorious, to win this great great struggle which we are facing. Let us put our shoulders to the wheel and keep things moving, so that we may come out not only victorious, but heroes of the world. No doubt you are taking things more serious than your soldier boys are, for when we think that we are going to get to go across, it only gives us better spirits, for we realize that the time is coming that instead of us drilling and marching to the sweet music of our bands, we will be parading through the streets of Berlin while peace is being signed on the drum heads in the palace of Kaiser Bill. I can look to the future tonight with happiness as I sit writing by the dim light of a burning candle. All we ask of you is to give us food and we will do the rest. Often, as we gather on the parade grounds by the thousands, we can easily see that the allied countries of Europe are going to be protected by the arms of freedom and by the helping hands of a nation that stands so strong today that all the bombs of Germany cannot even start her to defeat. As we pass our commanding officers in line of companies with the band playing and the Stars and Stripes waving over our heads, no doubt it would make the blood of the worst slacker boil with the spirit of their forefathers of ’61. Dear people, without your help we can do nothing, so come, let us all get in the game and play a trump card and save ourselves and our friend nations from the claws of brutality, from stings and distress of a nation that is trying to bring the world down into shame and disgrace.
We have been having lots of practice with the machine guns and as we are shooting, “mowing down trees like so many weeds, the report of the guns would almost sing the words, “there will be victory over yonder.”
The officers check quarters at 10:45 each night, to see that the boys are all in, as they are supposed to be in bed at this time. Sometimes the boys want to stay out later than this, so he puts a lot of things in his bed and pulls the cover over them so the officer will think he is in bed. The soldiers work many schemes to get in by the army. He often takes a sick head ache, a bbill or a pain in his side to keep from doing extra duty or going on Kitchen Police.
There are some over-three hundred in our mess hall, and if you could see us eat you would suggest that the Case Threshing Machine Company should manufacture an extra large size separator with a cylinder as large accordingly, to thresh navy beans.
I wish to say before I close that we boys are liking our jobs fine and are more than anxious to get a whack at “Kaiser Bill,”
Hoping that we will come out victorious and be back with you all in the near future. I am your soldier friend.
William E. Bryan
154th M. G. Co. C.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY STEPHANE LECOINTE