No. 2
Jan 16 1919

Hello Pa:

How are you all by now. Got your letter today, glad to hear from you. Well, we are getting our old 35th Regiment all split up. They are shipping out a bunch almost every day. It may be my time anytime. I should worry. I'll get to see some country maybe, if they send us up front. I don't know, it seems like they are sorting us again. The first bunch that left didn't have a very clear record and the ones that were called out tonight are pretty dull sort of chaps on the job. That's all I can see that they ship them away for. I guess they will ship me with the industrial gang, ha! I've been on sick report enough but not lately. They knew very well that I wasn't laying off on pretense of being sick for the time I went to the hospital I came in off the job with 104 degrees of fever. I don't know when the rest of us will get out. It seems like something has went skew gee with our getting out of here in Feb. from the way they are starting schools in the camps. I told you before about the studies we took but it seems they don't care about Mechanics or French anymore.

Did you get the Stars and Strips I sent you. I sent several copies. I expect you will think us A.E.F. boys are taking in all the orphans over here, ha! That's about all there is on some of the papers. But you see, there's a good big part of the U.S. over here now, and a little given from each one would help considerably. Just think, if all the A.E.F, over two million of us, would give one person the same as you gave Mont Miller last spring, he would be some bug, wouldn't he! "you tell 'em!"

Yes, I figured I would have plenty of chewing until I landed in the U.S.A., hope so anyway. I sure have been going after it now I have more time.

Well, if you get it to raining there like it does here, you won't get to town once a year. This is 48 days straight; it missed Nov 29 and rained every day since. This is Jan 16 and it doesn't just rain a shower and quit for the day, it quits every once in awhile but every cloud that comes along gives us a shower. And sometimes the sun will shine as hot as an oven and it raining to who tied the pup! Then other times you don't see the sun for week after week.

Well, if I had anyway of bringing them back I would bring you a pair of woodies. They would make good hen coops anyway, ha! Ha! Well, that big yellow leg rooster might be OK but supposing I made a mistake and got a hen, eh! I guess I better let it all alone. It's too liberal. I might get a bone in my neck. There is plenty chicken over here but it's like the little boy's towel, ha! Ha!

Yes, the flu raised cain over here with the French, not with us. I came pretty close to having it, or pneumonia, the time I was in the hospital but they jump right on any disease that starts in the Army. There was a french funeral nearly every day and some days two processions would pass, but it's not so bad anymore.

I got two letters from Harley the other day. He is at Percy LeGrand. His address is Co. A 325 Inf. APO 742, Amer. E.F. France. He says he hasn't heard from you at home but once since he has been over here except through me. I always sit right down and write him a letter as soon as I get one from you. I told him about Bill and about Frank's boy, and sent him Ernest's address. I know he gets it in 4 or 5 days after I hear from you. Of course he may have several letters from you before you get this. He is just as funny as ever. Writes about half French and Half U.S., ha! He can make up some of the craziest jokes in and about French lingo that I ever heard. He said he guessed Frank had started to raise an Army of his own. Said I don't know much to write but I know more than I did this time last year, ha! I allow he does, all right! He says I'm going to ask Bill how is his wife and my kid, ha! I'll bet he does it, too, ha! Ha! I asked him if he could talk any French yet and he said, "Well, I've learned how to say "Ooh la la tootsweet, wee du lah." I'll bet he has a devil of a time over here. I'd like to just see him awhile. I bet he would make more fun than a keg of monkeys. He says he gets letters from the girls out west. Said he only had one girl when he left but had someplace around 12 now, ha! He says he will surely have one when he gets back if they don't go AWOL. Says nobody wants to go home worse than Cokey does but said he could stand it as long as Uncle Same could, ha!

We all want to get home bad enough, but there's about 99% of the AEF that you couldn't chase away if they thought it was necessary to stay here. I guess we will get home before long. I guess you are about right. I might as well be sawing boards as to be sprouting mushrooms and daisies, but seems like we are left out of all the credit for the victory. I guess boxcars couldn't win the war but at the same time the war couldn't have been won without them. If you could have seen how they pushed us and begged for cars, you would pretty near think they did win it. But it's all over now and I am sure glad of it. We sure had all the big bugs down here to see us. Gen. Harford and two English Generals were here again not so very long ago and General Pershing was here last summer. They all wanted the same thing: CARS and a lot of them! Well, they got them and if you don't believe it, ask Hindenburg or Kaiser Bill. They know about it, ha! Ha!

Well I guess I'd better close pretty soon. So answer soon. Hope I will see you before crop time again and I believe I will. So will close for this time. As ever,