Long
Island, New York
August
13, 1918
My Dear Sweetheart,
Well, I’m
sitting on my cot in the hot sun, trying to get a little closer to you, dear,
for it seems an age since I wrote to you.
I received a sweet loving letter from you and mother yesterday, the one
you wrote on August 5, 1918. I also
received a pair of socks from Mother and a box of candy from my other
girl. It was only a small box, and was
not mashed or crushed. There was one box
that was completely crushed. All the
contents had lost out. When the poor
fellow saw it, he felt bad, but the only thing he could do was to take the
empty box and put in the fire.
I have been
washing again this morning for the sun has been shining and clothes dry very
quickly. I want all my clothing clean
when I leave here, which will be in a few days, for we have received all of our
overseas equipment. I do not know if I
have told you of the overseas cap they have given us. They surely make one look funny to have it
cocked upon your head. Well, I like it so well, I take keep it with me for fear
someone will take it during the night.
We have also received new shoes, overcoats, blouses, gloves, fatigue
suit, and new woolen leggings.
Well dear,
it is noon mess, so will leave you if you will let me. Won’t you come and go with me? Mess is over, and I am back with you
again. I forgot, they have given us four
packages of hard bread, a lb. of sugar, a little salt, and ¼ lbs. of coffee. I did not want the coffee, but they said I
had to take it anyway, so I have it, but it will stay here if I feel like I do
now. For it takes water to make coffee,
and I can drink the water or heat it, just as I please.
You asked
me if I were paying my tithing. Well
dear, I have send some money home. I do
not know it Mother has paid my tithing yet, but that was my intentions, that
they should pay my tithing out of it. I
feel just like you, for I know one will be rewarded, for so doing, I have
always tried to pay a full tithing, and I have been blessed by so doing. Since entering the army, I can see how much
better it has been for me to live the life I did before coming here. Had I have
been like some, they were alright as long as they were home, where they could
be coaxed a little. But as soon as they
got away, they were persuaded to do things which should not be done. It has been hard for me to withstand some of
the temptations which have been placed before me. This was only done by hard fighting and the
training I have had before I came. Any
person who has a strong will power can conquer most all evils which come before
him. Of course, you will see all persons
do not have this strong will power, and the consequences are that he is being
led into the wrong path which in the end will be of no value to him.
A good
example of this we have in our tent, one fellow who is always complaining about
his arm hurting him, and he can’t sleep.
Well, last Saturday night he went to New York and did not get back until
five o’clock in the morning. He also
smokes a great many cigarettes. How can
he expect to have a healthy body if he abuses it in such a way?
Now that
I’m on the subject of fellows in our tent, two other fellows have been married
and are now separated from their wives.
The way they talk about women is something terrible. One of them has a boy 4 years old, and he
does not know where his wife is, and more, he says he doesn’t care. The other
fellow got married when he was seventeen and the girl was fifteen. He surely does not have a very good name for
her. He calls her all the names under
the sun. The one who was married the
youngest is one of the most ignorant persons I’ve seen for a long time. He has one of the diseases which men often
contract by abusing the human body. He tries
to make you believe he can be cured, but I’ve told him he may think he can, but
I would rather not have the experience of going through it and seeing if such
was the case.
Ah, dear,
how thankful I am that I’m not in such a condition. If such would be the case, I would not want
any young lady to place her entire trust in me as you have. I would think myself doing the most unjust
thing any person can do. Why should a
man expect a young lady to be pure, and he himself is the most vile and corrupt
one. Never should such be, but in many
cases it is true. Well dear, do forgive
me if I have told you things you did not want me to tell you, they are things I
think a great deal of especially since I have landed in the camp at Dodge. Men who are supposed to be free from disease
are being thinned out every day from our ranks, for we are all inspected every
day. And they make sure, not passing anyone
up.
Well, I
went over to see the boys last night. I saw Omer and Bill and Foxely.
They surely were surprised to see me. Especially Bill, he
surely is a nice fellow. Yes and I went
and saw David a few minutes, for we could only stay a little while. Fred
Garrett told me John and Orlando Sessions, Bertha Riley’s husband had
volunteered, is it so? Well the boys are all fine and feeling fine, most of
them would rather be home than here, but Omer seems to be the same old kid,
talks just the same and tries to fill you with something which he thinks will
make him look greater than yourself.
Before I
forget it, we have a fellow here who wears a number 12 shoe; they did not have
a pair to fit him, so they gave him two pairs of 6’s Ha! Ha!; such is life in
the Army. My shoes have been ok by the way, one is a 6½ and the other 7 or 7 ½
I don’t know which. But my other clothes fit real well, I have been very lucky.
Well dear
I must say good afternoon, this is the first letter I’ve written in the hot
sun. Be a good little lady and I’ll be back for you later, hoping my love and
yours will be the same and praying for God’s greatest blessings upon you and
Sam.
Your
loving sweetheart,
Henry
xxx
Give my love to all. Tell the folks to write. Ward S was
up again last night. I had a long talk with him.
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