TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SPECTATOR MAY 9, 1919 P. 1
April 18, 1919
Mrs. and Mrs. C.T. McCartney:
Dear father and mother:
I will try and answer your most kind and welcome letter which came to hand the other day. I was sure glad to hear from you as it was the first letter I had got from you all in nearly a month, and the one I got was exactly a month old. I was dated 3-9 and I got it 4-9. It had been to Valdahon and several other places before it got to me. This leaves me well and doing fine. I hope you all keep well.
I was down on the docks yesterday afternoon and saw the boys walking up the gang plank onto the ship bound for the U.S.A., but I guess it will be several days yet before I get a chance to walk that gang plank. I had a letter from Andy James yesterday. He said he was well, but not having a good time. He is going to try to get a furlough and come down here and visit us. He don’t have any idea when they will get to go home. I notice in one of the U.S. papers that all the men who were over after April 1st, 1919, were vanerials and A.W.O.Ls. I don’t know where they got their information, but I do know that it is a false report, and when I read that, it made me feel bad to think we boys volunteered to give our lives to help bring about a world-wide peace and save our women and children from ruin, and then some one starts a falsehood like that on us. No doubt but what it was one of those yellow-backs who told lies to try to get exemption and had to be made to defend his own family, and probably had not been in the army as long as I have been in action. Practically all the soldiers who won the victory are over here yet and will be for awhile, so; the men over here are just as clean, pure and law-abiding as those who have returned, and the man who started that had better keep it to himself if he wants to live and do well.
If you see Tyler any more tell him hello for me.
As news is scarce I will close by asking you to answer soon.
As ever,
Pvt. William McCartney,
Sun. Det. 3rd Bn., 142 F.A., A.E.F.
NOTES: William Ellis McCartney was born in Ozark, Arkansas on October 12, 1898 and died on December 23, 1982. He is buried in the Monroe Cemetery in Monroe, Oklahoma. His military headstone identifies him as a Waggoner serving in the US Army in World War I. He enlisted on May 12, 1917 and was discharged on June 26, 1919. He departed Hoboken, NJ on August 31, 1918 onboard the Leviathan. He was serving as a Private in Supply Co. 142nd FA. He departed St. Nazaire, France on June 3, 1919 onboard the Amphion. He was serving as a Private in Supply Co. 142nd FA. He was writing to his parents, Charles Thomas and Hester McCartney.
TRANSCRIBED BY ALEXA KIMBROUGH
April 18, 1919
Mrs. and Mrs. C.T. McCartney:
Dear father and mother:
I will try and answer your most kind and welcome letter which came to hand the other day. I was sure glad to hear from you as it was the first letter I had got from you all in nearly a month, and the one I got was exactly a month old. I was dated 3-9 and I got it 4-9. It had been to Valdahon and several other places before it got to me. This leaves me well and doing fine. I hope you all keep well.
I was down on the docks yesterday afternoon and saw the boys walking up the gang plank onto the ship bound for the U.S.A., but I guess it will be several days yet before I get a chance to walk that gang plank. I had a letter from Andy James yesterday. He said he was well, but not having a good time. He is going to try to get a furlough and come down here and visit us. He don’t have any idea when they will get to go home. I notice in one of the U.S. papers that all the men who were over after April 1st, 1919, were vanerials and A.W.O.Ls. I don’t know where they got their information, but I do know that it is a false report, and when I read that, it made me feel bad to think we boys volunteered to give our lives to help bring about a world-wide peace and save our women and children from ruin, and then some one starts a falsehood like that on us. No doubt but what it was one of those yellow-backs who told lies to try to get exemption and had to be made to defend his own family, and probably had not been in the army as long as I have been in action. Practically all the soldiers who won the victory are over here yet and will be for awhile, so; the men over here are just as clean, pure and law-abiding as those who have returned, and the man who started that had better keep it to himself if he wants to live and do well.
If you see Tyler any more tell him hello for me.
As news is scarce I will close by asking you to answer soon.
As ever,
Pvt. William McCartney,
Sun. Det. 3rd Bn., 142 F.A., A.E.F.
NOTES: William Ellis McCartney was born in Ozark, Arkansas on October 12, 1898 and died on December 23, 1982. He is buried in the Monroe Cemetery in Monroe, Oklahoma. His military headstone identifies him as a Waggoner serving in the US Army in World War I. He enlisted on May 12, 1917 and was discharged on June 26, 1919. He departed Hoboken, NJ on August 31, 1918 onboard the Leviathan. He was serving as a Private in Supply Co. 142nd FA. He departed St. Nazaire, France on June 3, 1919 onboard the Amphion. He was serving as a Private in Supply Co. 142nd FA. He was writing to his parents, Charles Thomas and Hester McCartney.
TRANSCRIBED BY ALEXA KIMBROUGH