TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ROGERS DEMOCRAT NOVEMBER 7, 1918 P. 1
Dear Brother:
You have probably heard before this that I am in the Army Y.M.C.A. and located at Fort Sill. Okla. Am Athletic Director in the School of Fire (Artillery unit) of about 2,500 men: my job is to get them to play. We have about 1,800 officers, 400 cadets who will soon be officers and 300 privates. Our building must be 500 feet long by 50 wide, with a stage in the front and also a movie screen. This camp is artillery and airships: can almost see the airships leave the ground. They sent up 13 this morning: can hear the cannon booming out in the hills and on the plains; some of the shots jar the building, especially the six-inch guns which are hauled out by tractors.
Went out Friday and saw the machine guns work and they sure do the business-700 shots per minute if the ammunition is good. A battalion of artillery is going by the building now -six horses to the casion or gun; all saddled and each left hand horse has a rider.
You ought to see the dust down here. The first day I spent here it came in a fog through the building: had to take it as the biulding must be open on account of the flu. We have quite a lot of it here but not near like the other places.
We get lots to eat- more than we do at home and plenty of it; butter three times a day, and sugar and pie and cake or pudding for supper every day and plenty of fruit. I have not weighed but I know I am getting fat and am feeling fine. They play me pretty hard after supper but it’s good sport. They call me Dad. Had a football game Saturday p. m. between the officers and the cadets, soon to be officers. Cadets won 5 to 0; it was a corker. Our field has from two to five inches of oiled dirt on it, so you may imagine they got real dirty but all enjoyed it and played like a house afire.
I had a great time in San Antonio, Texas: was there three weeks for school and it was school sure enough: up every morning at 6:20 for callisthenies, 30 minutes then for cold shower baths, then breakfast: then school with recesses..and work in building until 10 p.m. I didn’t get to look around until the last half day and then made a 35 mile trip around the city, thru the parks and plazas and missions, some of then 208 years old; and thru the Alamo where the Mexicans killed 200 Americans in March, 1836, and where Bowie and Crocket and Col. Travis were killed: was in the room where all this happened. It’s a great town: probably 40,000 or 50,000 soldiers there now. Saw Divisional Review of 15,000 men.
My address is Army Athletic Director Y.M.C.A. School of Fire, Ft. Still, Okla.
Your brother,
ARTHUR.
NOTES: Arthur Cory of Rogers, Arkansas was writing to his brother Walter of Berryville, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY MCKENZIE MOORE
Dear Brother:
You have probably heard before this that I am in the Army Y.M.C.A. and located at Fort Sill. Okla. Am Athletic Director in the School of Fire (Artillery unit) of about 2,500 men: my job is to get them to play. We have about 1,800 officers, 400 cadets who will soon be officers and 300 privates. Our building must be 500 feet long by 50 wide, with a stage in the front and also a movie screen. This camp is artillery and airships: can almost see the airships leave the ground. They sent up 13 this morning: can hear the cannon booming out in the hills and on the plains; some of the shots jar the building, especially the six-inch guns which are hauled out by tractors.
Went out Friday and saw the machine guns work and they sure do the business-700 shots per minute if the ammunition is good. A battalion of artillery is going by the building now -six horses to the casion or gun; all saddled and each left hand horse has a rider.
You ought to see the dust down here. The first day I spent here it came in a fog through the building: had to take it as the biulding must be open on account of the flu. We have quite a lot of it here but not near like the other places.
We get lots to eat- more than we do at home and plenty of it; butter three times a day, and sugar and pie and cake or pudding for supper every day and plenty of fruit. I have not weighed but I know I am getting fat and am feeling fine. They play me pretty hard after supper but it’s good sport. They call me Dad. Had a football game Saturday p. m. between the officers and the cadets, soon to be officers. Cadets won 5 to 0; it was a corker. Our field has from two to five inches of oiled dirt on it, so you may imagine they got real dirty but all enjoyed it and played like a house afire.
I had a great time in San Antonio, Texas: was there three weeks for school and it was school sure enough: up every morning at 6:20 for callisthenies, 30 minutes then for cold shower baths, then breakfast: then school with recesses..and work in building until 10 p.m. I didn’t get to look around until the last half day and then made a 35 mile trip around the city, thru the parks and plazas and missions, some of then 208 years old; and thru the Alamo where the Mexicans killed 200 Americans in March, 1836, and where Bowie and Crocket and Col. Travis were killed: was in the room where all this happened. It’s a great town: probably 40,000 or 50,000 soldiers there now. Saw Divisional Review of 15,000 men.
My address is Army Athletic Director Y.M.C.A. School of Fire, Ft. Still, Okla.
Your brother,
ARTHUR.
NOTES: Arthur Cory of Rogers, Arkansas was writing to his brother Walter of Berryville, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY MCKENZIE MOORE