TRANSCRIBED FROM THE COLUMBIA BANNER OCTOBER 16, 1918 P. 1
Aug. 8th 1918
Dear Mother:
You must excuse me for not writing sooner but it has been impossible. I haven’t much time to write now, but am sending you a copy of the “Stars and Stripes,” under-scored a few of the things we have been through in the last month and a half. I guess you will wonder how we can be in so many places in such a short time but some funny things happen in the war, we have gone through 10 days of Hell and are taking a rest now, eating potatoes and beans the Germans planted. We were all pretty weak for not having food for a long time but we are getting back our strength right along. As soon as we are able they will take us away back of the lines for a long rest and then I will write you everything. George sure was lucky, he got some shrapnell or machine gun bullets in his leg the second day of the battle. He didn’t get it so bad that he couldn’t walk. I didn’t get to see him but he sent word to me I needn’t worry he was all right and better off than I was. I don’t know but I sure was a lucky bird, I went through it all. The last day when we reached our objective there were—(cut out by censor) of us out of a company of –(cut out by censor.) Most all the boys just got wounded in the arms or legs.
I was commanding a half company when I went in the last battle, when I came out I had –(cut out by censor) men. You can imagine how we looked, 10 days without shaving and the only washing we got was when we crossed the river—(cut out by censor.) We lived mostly on rations and drank water out of the creeks. Our rations soon gave out and we had to hunt around for something to eat. At night or just at dusk we would go out and search all the packs of men that had been wounded and sent to the rear, and in this way we managed to get a long. I wish the people of the U. S. could have seen that bunch of soldiers going back for a rest, they were tired and muddy, but in each man’s eyes there was a certain gleam that you seldom see in a man’s eyes in civilian life. These boys had seen something and done something they could be proud of all their lives, they had beaten the boche every day of the fight and ran him over 15 kilometers with artillery support, and all the boys talk about is “How I got my first German,” or ”How so and so took a machine gun.” All the American soldiers need is a little support and encouragement from the rear, and leave it to us, we will do the rest and do it up so you can be proud of the job. Your sons have done well.
Mother dear, I must close for this time, hoping this finds you well as can be and all the rest of the family in good spirits. Don’t worry about George, he is all O K. I am getting over my spell of gas just fine.
Hello to everybody and with love to the whole family, I remain.
Your loving son,
SGT. CHAS. KOSEK.
NOTES: Charles Joseph Kosek was born in Davenport, Iowa, on March 15, 1898 and died in Cedar Rapids; Iowa, on April 13, 1943. He is buried in the Czech National Cemetery in Cedar Rapids.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
Aug. 8th 1918
Dear Mother:
You must excuse me for not writing sooner but it has been impossible. I haven’t much time to write now, but am sending you a copy of the “Stars and Stripes,” under-scored a few of the things we have been through in the last month and a half. I guess you will wonder how we can be in so many places in such a short time but some funny things happen in the war, we have gone through 10 days of Hell and are taking a rest now, eating potatoes and beans the Germans planted. We were all pretty weak for not having food for a long time but we are getting back our strength right along. As soon as we are able they will take us away back of the lines for a long rest and then I will write you everything. George sure was lucky, he got some shrapnell or machine gun bullets in his leg the second day of the battle. He didn’t get it so bad that he couldn’t walk. I didn’t get to see him but he sent word to me I needn’t worry he was all right and better off than I was. I don’t know but I sure was a lucky bird, I went through it all. The last day when we reached our objective there were—(cut out by censor) of us out of a company of –(cut out by censor.) Most all the boys just got wounded in the arms or legs.
I was commanding a half company when I went in the last battle, when I came out I had –(cut out by censor) men. You can imagine how we looked, 10 days without shaving and the only washing we got was when we crossed the river—(cut out by censor.) We lived mostly on rations and drank water out of the creeks. Our rations soon gave out and we had to hunt around for something to eat. At night or just at dusk we would go out and search all the packs of men that had been wounded and sent to the rear, and in this way we managed to get a long. I wish the people of the U. S. could have seen that bunch of soldiers going back for a rest, they were tired and muddy, but in each man’s eyes there was a certain gleam that you seldom see in a man’s eyes in civilian life. These boys had seen something and done something they could be proud of all their lives, they had beaten the boche every day of the fight and ran him over 15 kilometers with artillery support, and all the boys talk about is “How I got my first German,” or ”How so and so took a machine gun.” All the American soldiers need is a little support and encouragement from the rear, and leave it to us, we will do the rest and do it up so you can be proud of the job. Your sons have done well.
Mother dear, I must close for this time, hoping this finds you well as can be and all the rest of the family in good spirits. Don’t worry about George, he is all O K. I am getting over my spell of gas just fine.
Hello to everybody and with love to the whole family, I remain.
Your loving son,
SGT. CHAS. KOSEK.
NOTES: Charles Joseph Kosek was born in Davenport, Iowa, on March 15, 1898 and died in Cedar Rapids; Iowa, on April 13, 1943. He is buried in the Czech National Cemetery in Cedar Rapids.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT