Co. H 35 Reg T.C.
American E. F.
LaRochelle, France

Oct 17, 1918

Dear Father:

Will write to you a few lines as it has been sometime since I wrote any home. I am still slinging the mud and taking the weather. Generally rain every blessed day and night pretty near, and cold rain, too. Say, I don't see what keeps it from coming down in hail.

I am feeling fine now over my trip to the hospital. Learned a little lesson. Found out I wasn't quite all iron yet, but blame near it. I'm going to keep dry as long as I got it in my power to do to do so from now on. It's a wise man who carries his raincoat on a pretty day or moonlit night.

How are you all back there by now. Getting pretty chilly by now, eh! Well, it doesn't get so very cold here, I guess. I got a letter from Ira Deere a few days ago. He said his wheat only made 42 ½ per acre, but was going to have a bumper corn crop.

Well, I'm hitting the Kaiser on both cheeks now. I bought a Liberty Bond the other day. It will be sent to you. They got up a scheme to let the soldiers buy bonds and take it out of their pay at the rate of $5.00 per month for ten months on a 50 dollar bond. So I took a 50 dollar ($50.00) bond. So you will probably get a notice of receipt or something pretty soon. You ought to get the bond about the middle of next July, but I'll be home by then and tell you all about it! "Yes!"

No mistake, this war is going to come to a focus one of these days when you aren't looking, and the peace dove will be loose before you hardly realize it. No doubt Germany can put up a good sized scrap yet, but flesh and blood can't stand up under our old Uncle's punch. When he delivers his knockout wallop to the Kaiser's solar plexus, he is going to shake the Kaiser's whole family! Yes, shake 'em and shake 'em right!

The next news item after that will be the "The boys are comin' home!" and the Kaiser'll say "never mind about the flowers, I'll soon be pushing daisies." But he won't; he will be heaving coal and his old carcass will be sprouting mushrooms!

Well, tell everybody to write and all of you take care of yourselves. Be well and hearty when the boys in khaki cross the Atlantic again cause it won't be long, mark my prophetic words. It won't. I'm not fooled by any of the Kaiser's peace or armistice proposals cause the Kaiser is not going to be one of the guys who helps settle it. As long as he has got any authority to talk, the war is going to continue. It is force that speaks now, and it's force that's going to bring peace.

Say, did you ever get the 40 dollars I sent you. You have about 6 weeks to get it yet. If you don't get it by Dec. 3rd, why let me know because I have a receipt for it. I'm going to have to send some more soon. Got entirely too many francs to carry around. Got one good old American dollar bill yet and a penny. They sure look like real money along side these French cigarette coupons, ha! Answer soon. As ever your son,

Pvt. Lawrence McCoy