Letter # 63
July 20, 1918
Camp Dodge, Iowa
My Dear Sweetheart,
It is
Saturday evening and all my work is done; I am ready to leave for Des
Moines. I want to go down and see the
city, or town, for I don’t know which it is.
I have a pass from 4 o’clock to 12 tonight, so you see, I haven’t much
time. I will have to see it.
Is it
very hot there? By the way I am sweating
you would think it is 140 in the shade, for as I am writing, the sweat is
pouring off like the hose had been turned on me. In the afternoon, we do a great deal of our
work on the inside, but it is hot, just the same.
The
work here is very interesting. For one
reason, we are not doing the same thing all the time. Yesterday we had a very interesting day, for
we’re doing something which means sudden death to anyone, if they happened to
breathe just one breath of gas. We were
taken through the gas chamber. We were taken through three times. The first time, the gas was for the
eyes. The next time, we left our masks
off and went through without the mask. I
want to tell you, dear, it made my eyes smart, and one could not rub the eyes,
for that would make the eyes sore. The
next time was the poison gas, and we had to be careful that our masks did not
leak, for just one good breath would eat out the lungs. When we got in there, we were told to test for gas. We did this by taking our forefingers and
making a small passage for the gas to go into the mask, and then you remove the
nose piece a little and took just a small sniff. It hardly had any smell to it.
Well,
the boys are here and waiting for me to go with them. I will finish this in the morning.
Well
dear sweetheart, I suppose you are in Sunday school this morning, for it is
just that time now. I have been working
a little this morning, if you may call it that, for we had to put all of our
clothes out which had been issued to us.
It takes quite a while to go over them all. I just want to tell you, dear, it surely is
much different here than at home. One is
kept on the go all the time, from the time he gets up until the time he gets
into bed at night. To try to write is
almost impossible for you no sooner get started before someone comes and asks
you what you are doing.
Well, I
suppose it is army life, if you want to call it that, but I’ve got a new name
for it. It is a dog’s life. For some, it is pleasant and cheerful. I’m trying my best to take it that way, but
sometimes I just have to give in. Now
dear, don’t think I’m always that way, for I’m not. The other night I was talking to a young man
from North Dakota who had just gotten married and left his wife behind. He had not been in the army long, but he
felt like I did, so we just told our troubles to each other. Oh my dear, how it made me feel, to find
someone who really thought the same, and had the same ideals to accomplish. He had the same ideas as I did about being
married. It gave him something more to
live for.
Dear,
I’m not married, but I have just as much to live for as he has. Oh sweetheart, if you could only know what
that little talk meant to me. I get so
full it seems almost to choke me at times.
I
surely miss George. Last night he came
up and I almost felt like hugging him and kissing him, like he was my own
brother. Those fellows we met at Boulder
surely are nicer fellows compared to some of these we have here. Since arriving here, the Boulder boys have
been like brethren to all of us and to each other.
Well,
dear sweetheart, I’ve got to break a promise, and I’ll be you don’t know what
it is. But it hurts me more than
anything since I’ve joined the army.
Well, dear, it is to have my hair fixed tightly to my head. I’m going to try to see if I can’t have it
grown out: not so short. Tell Hazel it
is the command of the captain. I suppose
you want to know why that order was given.
Now dear, don’t take it too serious, for it is just for those who are to
do overseas duty.
Everything
is being packed and loaded for shipment.
I don’t know when I leave, but it will be soon in the near future. By all reports, we are going to
Maryland. It may be two months before we
leave, and after we get there, we will have about 6 to 8 months of
training. Our work is making roads and
setting gun bases.
Now
dear, don’t take this to heart, I know you will feel a little downhearted, but
look at it this way. You have been
promised a companion throughout life, and I want to tell you that I’m living the
very best way possible for me so that I may be able to receive that
blessing. But I feel like God can care for
me anyplace as long as I am doing right, and not breaking any of His
commandments. All I ask is your love and
cheerful sunshine smiling from your being at all times. I pray every night for guidance and
protection, I’m sure your prayer will be answered.
Yesterday
morning we were put practicing bayonet work, when the lieutenant began talking
about stabbing a man with your bayonet.
It almost made me sick to think men were being killed every day with
them. I never have had much of a desire
to fight, as some boys and men have. It
surely is hard to get it into my head.
Another thing which I take great interest in
is scaling a high board fence and then jumping over trenches and smaller
fences. We were to do it in 22 seconds. The first time I tried, I did it in 20
seconds, so they gave me another trial, and that time I did it in 21
seconds. So you see, I’m not among the
slow ones, for the quickest time was 21 seconds.
Now I
want to tell you about the town of Des Moines.
It is not very large, and for cleanliness, it is worse than any of our
dirty streets in Salt Lake. The streets
are very narrow and the sidewalks are very narrow. The sidewalks are only large enough for two
or three persons to walk abreast. The
street cars are about the same, but the buildings are not very high, and are
dirty but I believe that is because of age.
After wandering around for a while, we returned back to camp. I had quite a scare when I returned. We must return our passes; well, I searched
for mine, but all in vain, so I told the one in charge I had lost it and went
to my bunk. I had forgotten I had my
shirt on before leaving. I took it off
before going to the city and left it in my shirt pocket. After that, I felt better.
Well
dear sweetheart, I haven’t heard from home since last Sunday just before
leaving 7 long days ago. You think it long
to go 3 days, but listen to me, dear love, I’ll appreciate it when I do get
it. Now don’t forget to send me a nice
long kiss, will you? For I’m just aching
for one from you. I often lay on my bunk
at night thinking of you and if you would treat me the same as you used
to. If you should not, I’m afraid my
aching heart would be overcome with sorrow.
For my love for you is so great, I can’t bear to think of loving anyone
else.
I have often thought what other girls are
doing at home, going out with fellows and letting their lovers at war go, who
are doing more for the world than those boys who are staying home, enjoying the
good times which we are making for them.
“Oh, how I hate a slacker.”
Well
dear heart, I must close, for I have got some more loved ones at home who wish
to hear from me. May God ever be with
you and bless my darling sweetheart.
Give my love to all. If you see any of the kids, tell them I’m too busy
to write them.
Your
Loving Sweetheart Soldier,
Henry X
X X
P.S. There is another
thing I don’t like, and that is picking up cigarette butts when policing the
grounds every morning.
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