TRANSCRIBED FROM THE WYNNE PROGRESS SEPTEMBER 21, 1917 P. 8
Camp Pike, Arkansas,
September 10, 1917.
To the Editor of The Progress:
Just a few lines today to let you know what the boys in Company M, 1st Arkansas Inf. U.S.A. are doing these days.
Private Kernodle is still on the hop down in Little Rock on detached service. Cook Morrow has got "pig iron" since he returned from a furlough at Wynne. He won't even let one come in the kitchen to get a drink of water. Col. Almond has just about quit smoking "John Ruskin" cigars, his money being about gone. Privates Shelton and Allison were made first-class privates last week. Now let's see you hold your own, Mr. Shelton.
Private Swinson is getting "pretty fat" again, while private Montgomery is getting some of his fat off. He says digging trenches would get anybody who is fat.
Who ordered such cold weather anyway? Anyhow our supply Sergeant should be told before any such orders should be issued. Tuesday he came around and took up all the blankets but two and the same night it registered below weather all around our cot, and Private Lamb said he was as cold as a wagon tire.
The funny part of it is we have had all the blankets we could find all summer and now since it has gotton to where we really need them they take all of them up, but such is the army. It is all just the opposite from anything else you go to do. For instance they say water is the most healthful drink one can use, and we have to work all day in the hot sun and only have one quart for twelve hours, but still we are living.
If one could come around to Company M now he would think he was in some amusement park instead of an army barrack. We have a new Edison army and navy machine, built only for the army and navy, and it is boxed and ready for shipment, and when we go on hikes or anywhere we only have to load it in the wagon, and to play it, all one has to do is to unlock it. It is the only one of its kind in Little Rock, but we suspect they will be plentiful in the new army. We hear the Y.M.C.A. has adopted it for field service, as it as good as any Victrola made.
Ernest B. Neely, cook for Company M, and Miss Emma Thedford of Little Rock, were married Sunday, August 26. It was quite a surprise to Cat, when we told him about it. He swore it wasn't true, but finally confessed.
We think next week we will have several announcements to make for cupid has been doing some good work the last five months and these girls here are having great success. If any of the old maids are getting afraid of their future they should come to Little Rock, as all of us are very patriotic and one don't have to draft us and we sure will not ask for exemption--what's the use?
We have one more month to our credit, making five we have been in the service and it is getting to look as if we will have as many years, but we are here for a purpose and are going to stay until our mission has been accomplished. While no one prefers army life to civilian life, now that we are here we will do all we can to make our company as efficient as possible and while dong so we will be helping to make our regiment the same, and if we expect to do anything when called on we will have to know when, how and what to do, before we can accomplish our purpose. While we are doing our part, those who are not going in person, but in mind can do their part in helping to get us up to that stage by not writing your boys and friends letters telling them you are afraid for them and how much you wish they were back home, and all such; but tell them you are proud of them and glad they were physically fit to go and do their part, then when we return you can tell them how much you missed them. Leave the boys alone, they don't have time to study about you and home and how well they would love to be there, but when you write such blue letters they have such bad effect on the boys and then things get unbearable for a while. If you can't write cheerful letters don't write anything.
Any one who has records for a Victrola which they have grown tired of and don't use, would do us a favor by sending them to us, as they will be new to some of us and be appreciated.
Mebane Kernodle, Charles Shelton, Leonard West, Carl Almond, Edwin Swinson, Will Walker, Frank Morrow, Athol Montgomery.
NOTES: These eight Wynne, Arkansas soldiers were serving in Co. M. First Arkansas Infantry at Camp Pike, Arkansas when they wrote this letter.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD
Camp Pike, Arkansas,
September 10, 1917.
To the Editor of The Progress:
Just a few lines today to let you know what the boys in Company M, 1st Arkansas Inf. U.S.A. are doing these days.
Private Kernodle is still on the hop down in Little Rock on detached service. Cook Morrow has got "pig iron" since he returned from a furlough at Wynne. He won't even let one come in the kitchen to get a drink of water. Col. Almond has just about quit smoking "John Ruskin" cigars, his money being about gone. Privates Shelton and Allison were made first-class privates last week. Now let's see you hold your own, Mr. Shelton.
Private Swinson is getting "pretty fat" again, while private Montgomery is getting some of his fat off. He says digging trenches would get anybody who is fat.
Who ordered such cold weather anyway? Anyhow our supply Sergeant should be told before any such orders should be issued. Tuesday he came around and took up all the blankets but two and the same night it registered below weather all around our cot, and Private Lamb said he was as cold as a wagon tire.
The funny part of it is we have had all the blankets we could find all summer and now since it has gotton to where we really need them they take all of them up, but such is the army. It is all just the opposite from anything else you go to do. For instance they say water is the most healthful drink one can use, and we have to work all day in the hot sun and only have one quart for twelve hours, but still we are living.
If one could come around to Company M now he would think he was in some amusement park instead of an army barrack. We have a new Edison army and navy machine, built only for the army and navy, and it is boxed and ready for shipment, and when we go on hikes or anywhere we only have to load it in the wagon, and to play it, all one has to do is to unlock it. It is the only one of its kind in Little Rock, but we suspect they will be plentiful in the new army. We hear the Y.M.C.A. has adopted it for field service, as it as good as any Victrola made.
Ernest B. Neely, cook for Company M, and Miss Emma Thedford of Little Rock, were married Sunday, August 26. It was quite a surprise to Cat, when we told him about it. He swore it wasn't true, but finally confessed.
We think next week we will have several announcements to make for cupid has been doing some good work the last five months and these girls here are having great success. If any of the old maids are getting afraid of their future they should come to Little Rock, as all of us are very patriotic and one don't have to draft us and we sure will not ask for exemption--what's the use?
We have one more month to our credit, making five we have been in the service and it is getting to look as if we will have as many years, but we are here for a purpose and are going to stay until our mission has been accomplished. While no one prefers army life to civilian life, now that we are here we will do all we can to make our company as efficient as possible and while dong so we will be helping to make our regiment the same, and if we expect to do anything when called on we will have to know when, how and what to do, before we can accomplish our purpose. While we are doing our part, those who are not going in person, but in mind can do their part in helping to get us up to that stage by not writing your boys and friends letters telling them you are afraid for them and how much you wish they were back home, and all such; but tell them you are proud of them and glad they were physically fit to go and do their part, then when we return you can tell them how much you missed them. Leave the boys alone, they don't have time to study about you and home and how well they would love to be there, but when you write such blue letters they have such bad effect on the boys and then things get unbearable for a while. If you can't write cheerful letters don't write anything.
Any one who has records for a Victrola which they have grown tired of and don't use, would do us a favor by sending them to us, as they will be new to some of us and be appreciated.
Mebane Kernodle, Charles Shelton, Leonard West, Carl Almond, Edwin Swinson, Will Walker, Frank Morrow, Athol Montgomery.
NOTES: These eight Wynne, Arkansas soldiers were serving in Co. M. First Arkansas Infantry at Camp Pike, Arkansas when they wrote this letter.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD