TRANSCRIBED FROM THE COLUMBIA BANNER MAY 29, 1918 P. 4
May 26, 1918.
Dear Mother:
At last the quarantine has been raised and we fellows are permitted to get out into civilization again, possibly I should not use that word for the camp is as much civilized as the other parts of this country outside, but I mean one is at liberty to go on a pass for the week end. It was raised Saturday at noon, and seventy five per cent of the men of the training school received passes to come to town and to go to other places. This trip cost me my hotel bill but it is worth it to be able to see something beside the sameness of everything there.
How is all at home? I hope that everything is going fine. Eva wrote me that she saw in the paper where Archie had been called but Claud’s name did not appear. Who else around there was called at this time?
The officers Training school has been transferred to the depot division from the 86th, so we will not go to France to finish up our course of study, as was thought at first. That means I will be here at least three more months and possibly longer. We will be given a fifteen days’ furlough after we have finished the course. The work sure is hard. It keeps us busy every minute of the time.
I am standing up to it pretty well, of course it has made me sore and stiff but I am getting over that. We had our first Regimental review yesterday morning. I participated in the first Regimental Review that I had ever seen. I saw my first aeroplanes in the air this last week. One of them spent about two hours time flying around over the camp. It came down low enough until you could see the red white and blue stars underneath. It sure did look good flying around over our heads. I think it came from a field near Chicago.
There was a law passed the other day giving soldiers the right to ride on railroads for one cent per mile. This will make it possible for more of the soldiers to be able to visit their homes and other places when they have the time to do so. I am going to run over to Chicago, some of these Saturdays and Sundays before long.
There was a Miss Stone at school, who lives in Chicago and she invited me to come over and see her when she got home and I think I will. I did not have time to see anything the other day when we came through.
Tell all the people at home hello for me and tell Essie that I am doing fine.
Your loving son,
Irvin J. Heath.
NOTES: Irvin J. Heath was writing from Camp Grant, Ill. He was born on July 28, 1890 in Magnolia, Arkansas and died on June 15, 1989 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is buried in the Green Oaks Memorial Park at Baton Rouge. Prior the war he was a member of the military cadets at the University of Arkansas for four years and was promoted to Captain before he graduated. He was described as being stout and medium height with blue eyes and dark hair.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
May 26, 1918.
Dear Mother:
At last the quarantine has been raised and we fellows are permitted to get out into civilization again, possibly I should not use that word for the camp is as much civilized as the other parts of this country outside, but I mean one is at liberty to go on a pass for the week end. It was raised Saturday at noon, and seventy five per cent of the men of the training school received passes to come to town and to go to other places. This trip cost me my hotel bill but it is worth it to be able to see something beside the sameness of everything there.
How is all at home? I hope that everything is going fine. Eva wrote me that she saw in the paper where Archie had been called but Claud’s name did not appear. Who else around there was called at this time?
The officers Training school has been transferred to the depot division from the 86th, so we will not go to France to finish up our course of study, as was thought at first. That means I will be here at least three more months and possibly longer. We will be given a fifteen days’ furlough after we have finished the course. The work sure is hard. It keeps us busy every minute of the time.
I am standing up to it pretty well, of course it has made me sore and stiff but I am getting over that. We had our first Regimental review yesterday morning. I participated in the first Regimental Review that I had ever seen. I saw my first aeroplanes in the air this last week. One of them spent about two hours time flying around over the camp. It came down low enough until you could see the red white and blue stars underneath. It sure did look good flying around over our heads. I think it came from a field near Chicago.
There was a law passed the other day giving soldiers the right to ride on railroads for one cent per mile. This will make it possible for more of the soldiers to be able to visit their homes and other places when they have the time to do so. I am going to run over to Chicago, some of these Saturdays and Sundays before long.
There was a Miss Stone at school, who lives in Chicago and she invited me to come over and see her when she got home and I think I will. I did not have time to see anything the other day when we came through.
Tell all the people at home hello for me and tell Essie that I am doing fine.
Your loving son,
Irvin J. Heath.
NOTES: Irvin J. Heath was writing from Camp Grant, Ill. He was born on July 28, 1890 in Magnolia, Arkansas and died on June 15, 1989 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is buried in the Green Oaks Memorial Park at Baton Rouge. Prior the war he was a member of the military cadets at the University of Arkansas for four years and was promoted to Captain before he graduated. He was described as being stout and medium height with blue eyes and dark hair.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT