TRANSCRIBED FROM THE NEWPORT DAILY INDEPENDENT SEPTEMBER 10, 1918 P. 2
Sept. 1, 1918.
Dear Sister:
I’ve forgotten whether I answered your last letter or not so I’ll write again. I am at work in the office of the cut-up plant now. That is where the lumber is cut for the aeroplane wings. My duty is to keep a record of all the men, their present and previous occupations. Say for instance they come to me and say, “I want a truck driver and electrician” or whatever they want. I look on my directory and tell them where they can find ond and how long he has worked at it, according to his version. Work only eight hours per day. Tomorrow is a holiday, so I do not go to work till eight Monday morning.
We have a stove in our tent, also electric lights. Real stylish to be in the army, don’t you think? It’s better than to be in the woods, a whole lot. There are several trainloads of spruce here on the tracks waiting to go through the mill, but we do not work on holidays. I signed the payroll last Saturday a week ago. Guess I’ll be getting my army pay in about a week and the mill pay in another week. I am sure I’ll be glad when it does come.
It was sure hot here yesterday though it was real cool this morning. Guess it must have been hot there yesterday.
It is not like being in the army here at all. It is not compulsory to drill and we never stand retreat. We have supper at 5:30 and after that one can sign the book and go where he wants to if he’s back by eleven. Woe to him though that is not back by then. When a man is here thirty days he is given a special pass with which he may stay out till 6 a. m. Guess I’ll get one of them in about three weeks though I do not suppose I’ll ever need it. I’ve not been over in Portland since we came through on our way over. It has a population of about 300,000. Vancouver is about 9,000 I guess.
I do not know where any of the boys are now that came with me. They are all scattered. There is a boy in the 18th Squad that came from Jonesboro last November. He was sent from there to Kelly Field in Texas and then on out here. There sure is a bunch of boys here from Michigan. In my report yesterday I had 3420 men. That is a pretty good number for one man. I must make a report of all new assignments, all sick men, all office men. All absent without leave, all in the guard house from each of 14 squadrons. Quite a task, I’ll say, too.
Guess I’ll be issued some olive drab clothes next week, also a raincoat. I’ve been issued an overcoat already. Got my uniform on Monday after I got here. I do not intend to buy any clothes if I can keep from it.
It’s ten o’clock here now and I suppose you are almost ready to eat dinner. On Sunday we do not have to get up If we do not want to. I got up about 7:30 this a. m.
I do not know how the papers look there but the way they look here the war will be over before long.
I guess I’ve written enough today, so I’ll stop. Guess maybe I’ll hear from you soon. Hope so anyway.
With Love, Your Brother, Earl.
17th Spruce Squadron,
Aviation Section Signal Corps.
Vancouver, Washington.
NOTES: This letter was written by Earl Roderick Mack to his sister Mrs. W. A. Lester of Diaz, Arkansas. Mack was born in Bradford, Arkansas on June 6, 1895 and died on June 30. 1963. He is buried in the Walnut Grove Cemetery at Newport, Arkansas. He was a postal clerk at Newport when he went into the service. His military headstone identifies him as a Pvt. in 17 Spruce Squad in World War 1.
TRANSCRIBED BY LINDA MATTHEWS
Sept. 1, 1918.
Dear Sister:
I’ve forgotten whether I answered your last letter or not so I’ll write again. I am at work in the office of the cut-up plant now. That is where the lumber is cut for the aeroplane wings. My duty is to keep a record of all the men, their present and previous occupations. Say for instance they come to me and say, “I want a truck driver and electrician” or whatever they want. I look on my directory and tell them where they can find ond and how long he has worked at it, according to his version. Work only eight hours per day. Tomorrow is a holiday, so I do not go to work till eight Monday morning.
We have a stove in our tent, also electric lights. Real stylish to be in the army, don’t you think? It’s better than to be in the woods, a whole lot. There are several trainloads of spruce here on the tracks waiting to go through the mill, but we do not work on holidays. I signed the payroll last Saturday a week ago. Guess I’ll be getting my army pay in about a week and the mill pay in another week. I am sure I’ll be glad when it does come.
It was sure hot here yesterday though it was real cool this morning. Guess it must have been hot there yesterday.
It is not like being in the army here at all. It is not compulsory to drill and we never stand retreat. We have supper at 5:30 and after that one can sign the book and go where he wants to if he’s back by eleven. Woe to him though that is not back by then. When a man is here thirty days he is given a special pass with which he may stay out till 6 a. m. Guess I’ll get one of them in about three weeks though I do not suppose I’ll ever need it. I’ve not been over in Portland since we came through on our way over. It has a population of about 300,000. Vancouver is about 9,000 I guess.
I do not know where any of the boys are now that came with me. They are all scattered. There is a boy in the 18th Squad that came from Jonesboro last November. He was sent from there to Kelly Field in Texas and then on out here. There sure is a bunch of boys here from Michigan. In my report yesterday I had 3420 men. That is a pretty good number for one man. I must make a report of all new assignments, all sick men, all office men. All absent without leave, all in the guard house from each of 14 squadrons. Quite a task, I’ll say, too.
Guess I’ll be issued some olive drab clothes next week, also a raincoat. I’ve been issued an overcoat already. Got my uniform on Monday after I got here. I do not intend to buy any clothes if I can keep from it.
It’s ten o’clock here now and I suppose you are almost ready to eat dinner. On Sunday we do not have to get up If we do not want to. I got up about 7:30 this a. m.
I do not know how the papers look there but the way they look here the war will be over before long.
I guess I’ve written enough today, so I’ll stop. Guess maybe I’ll hear from you soon. Hope so anyway.
With Love, Your Brother, Earl.
17th Spruce Squadron,
Aviation Section Signal Corps.
Vancouver, Washington.
NOTES: This letter was written by Earl Roderick Mack to his sister Mrs. W. A. Lester of Diaz, Arkansas. Mack was born in Bradford, Arkansas on June 6, 1895 and died on June 30. 1963. He is buried in the Walnut Grove Cemetery at Newport, Arkansas. He was a postal clerk at Newport when he went into the service. His military headstone identifies him as a Pvt. in 17 Spruce Squad in World War 1.
TRANSCRIBED BY LINDA MATTHEWS