TRANSCRIBED FROM THE DEQEEN BEE JUNE 21, 1918 P. 3
Dear Friend Will:
Your very much appreciated letter to hand some time ago and I was very glad to hear from you, as I always appreciate any news from home. At present I am getting along real nicely after a slight illness, the first time since I have been in the service. Street Harris, Herbert Cowden and Emmet Harrison, who is a corporal now, are still with me and are all well. I have lost track of the other Sevier county boys, but I suspect that by now they are Somewhere in France. I am sorry that we were busted up, as we sure were a fine bully bunch of boys from Southwest Arkansas, and as fine a lot of officers ever were found anywhere, and all the boys would have been glad to have gone into battle with them. Of course we thought we had the best company in camp, and the captain encouraged that belief. We were at Camp Pike only two months when we were sent to Camp Jackson, S.C., and placed in a depot brigade. I was only there one week when Harris, Harrison, Cowden, John Addington and myself were sent to Kelly Field Tex., and transferred to the aviation service and placed in the 124th squadron, afterwards made the 643rd. We were then sent to Garden City, L.I., and afterwards brought over here. We landed in France Jan. 28. We traveled around quite a bit in the states, passing through all of the principle cities of the South and East. We passed through Washington, D.C. about 11 o’clock p.m. Although I was expected to be in bed, I took a chance and got a view of the capitol at night. I am now in the 643rd squadron, which is a supply squadron, and about as near as I can explain its work is to say that it is to the aviation something like the Q. M. is to the other branches of service.
We have a real good bunch of boys gathered from almost every state in the Union, although I think Arkansas and New York boys predominate, also several Southern boys. Our commanding officer is also a Southern man. Will, we who are over here want you in the States to know that we appreciate what the people back Home are doing for us. We know that there are behaviors and you can be sure that the boys in khaki are going to prove themselves in the fight and are there to win, for they know no defeat. The Frenchman have many peculiarities and are very hard to understand, but you must hand it to them for they are there in a pinch. My last night in De Queen is one that I often think of with pleasant memories, and one that will not be easily forgotten. The great hospitality of the people in providing entertainment and sending the boys away with glad hearts was great. Give my regards to all the boys and with best regards to you, I am your friend,
Pvt. Joda Johnson,
643rd Aero Sqdn. A. E. F.
NOTES: Johnson was born in 1887 and died in 1950. He is buried in the Redmen Cemetery in DeQueen, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY ISAAC WOLTER
Dear Friend Will:
Your very much appreciated letter to hand some time ago and I was very glad to hear from you, as I always appreciate any news from home. At present I am getting along real nicely after a slight illness, the first time since I have been in the service. Street Harris, Herbert Cowden and Emmet Harrison, who is a corporal now, are still with me and are all well. I have lost track of the other Sevier county boys, but I suspect that by now they are Somewhere in France. I am sorry that we were busted up, as we sure were a fine bully bunch of boys from Southwest Arkansas, and as fine a lot of officers ever were found anywhere, and all the boys would have been glad to have gone into battle with them. Of course we thought we had the best company in camp, and the captain encouraged that belief. We were at Camp Pike only two months when we were sent to Camp Jackson, S.C., and placed in a depot brigade. I was only there one week when Harris, Harrison, Cowden, John Addington and myself were sent to Kelly Field Tex., and transferred to the aviation service and placed in the 124th squadron, afterwards made the 643rd. We were then sent to Garden City, L.I., and afterwards brought over here. We landed in France Jan. 28. We traveled around quite a bit in the states, passing through all of the principle cities of the South and East. We passed through Washington, D.C. about 11 o’clock p.m. Although I was expected to be in bed, I took a chance and got a view of the capitol at night. I am now in the 643rd squadron, which is a supply squadron, and about as near as I can explain its work is to say that it is to the aviation something like the Q. M. is to the other branches of service.
We have a real good bunch of boys gathered from almost every state in the Union, although I think Arkansas and New York boys predominate, also several Southern boys. Our commanding officer is also a Southern man. Will, we who are over here want you in the States to know that we appreciate what the people back Home are doing for us. We know that there are behaviors and you can be sure that the boys in khaki are going to prove themselves in the fight and are there to win, for they know no defeat. The Frenchman have many peculiarities and are very hard to understand, but you must hand it to them for they are there in a pinch. My last night in De Queen is one that I often think of with pleasant memories, and one that will not be easily forgotten. The great hospitality of the people in providing entertainment and sending the boys away with glad hearts was great. Give my regards to all the boys and with best regards to you, I am your friend,
Pvt. Joda Johnson,
643rd Aero Sqdn. A. E. F.
NOTES: Johnson was born in 1887 and died in 1950. He is buried in the Redmen Cemetery in DeQueen, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY ISAAC WOLTER