TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SCOTT COUNTY ADVANCE REPORTER JUNE 28, 1917 P. 1
Mr. Jim Cox Editor of the Advance Reporter
Dear Sir:
Having nothing to do thought I would write you a few lines. January 10 I left Waldron for Jefferson Barracks, I am now in the service of my country. I completed the course and was shipped out to Fort Bliss, 8 miles west of El Paso, Texas. There I served for three months on a sand desert: couldn’t see anything but Mexicans and dead sage grass When I left Jefferson Barracks the temperature was down below zero for four days and nights and when we landed at Fort Bliss it was in the midst of summer weather. There I fought sand lizzards and Mexicans for three long months. I was consigned to a machine gun which I can opperate 300 times a minute. On June 1st we were ordered to go to Syracuse, N. Y. We had gathered up a large crowd of jolly good boys about my size and age, all wanting to fight and were sent to Syracuse, N. Y., for eight days and nights. We landed on the fair grounds at 5:50 in the morning. This is the prettiest town I ever saw and is full of pretty girls, The Baptist Church people gave us boys a big dinner last Sunday. It seemed like a picnic at Boles. The people seem like home folks up here. Tell the boys to come on. Wilson wants all his boys to get together again, for he is getting very old and wants to see all of us gathered together again. He is going to dress us up and give us a free ride over the pond. He wants us to go over and see what Pershing is going to do with the Germans. They tell me they are wanting to fight. If we can’t beg off, we are going to put our flag on Berlin: it may be a little bloody, but is going up there just the same. So I’ll ring off. The band is playing Dixie. We had a good dress parade this morning. Give my best regards to Scott County people.
Sincerely,
John Tolleson
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY KOBE HEAGERTY
Mr. Jim Cox Editor of the Advance Reporter
Dear Sir:
Having nothing to do thought I would write you a few lines. January 10 I left Waldron for Jefferson Barracks, I am now in the service of my country. I completed the course and was shipped out to Fort Bliss, 8 miles west of El Paso, Texas. There I served for three months on a sand desert: couldn’t see anything but Mexicans and dead sage grass When I left Jefferson Barracks the temperature was down below zero for four days and nights and when we landed at Fort Bliss it was in the midst of summer weather. There I fought sand lizzards and Mexicans for three long months. I was consigned to a machine gun which I can opperate 300 times a minute. On June 1st we were ordered to go to Syracuse, N. Y. We had gathered up a large crowd of jolly good boys about my size and age, all wanting to fight and were sent to Syracuse, N. Y., for eight days and nights. We landed on the fair grounds at 5:50 in the morning. This is the prettiest town I ever saw and is full of pretty girls, The Baptist Church people gave us boys a big dinner last Sunday. It seemed like a picnic at Boles. The people seem like home folks up here. Tell the boys to come on. Wilson wants all his boys to get together again, for he is getting very old and wants to see all of us gathered together again. He is going to dress us up and give us a free ride over the pond. He wants us to go over and see what Pershing is going to do with the Germans. They tell me they are wanting to fight. If we can’t beg off, we are going to put our flag on Berlin: it may be a little bloody, but is going up there just the same. So I’ll ring off. The band is playing Dixie. We had a good dress parade this morning. Give my best regards to Scott County people.
Sincerely,
John Tolleson
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY KOBE HEAGERTY