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Dearest Sister:-
Just received your letter of Oct. 23, 1918 today. Good time, wasn't it? I
feel badly when I read in each of your letters that you haven't heard from
Ben. I'm sure I can't give you any light on why you don't hear from him. I
am just as sure that he is writing to you regularly. I heard from him just
a few days ago and he said he was well & happy and had heard from you.
So you don't figure that they'll be any "sitters up" before the old fire
this winter. Don't fool yourself! We'll be home before you know it! I
will, at least. In fact I expect to be in civilian clothes before Easter.
I'm not dreaming this I know it. I always have been saying next spring but
events have transpired so quickly in the last few days that I can't even
find a way to start a letter about them all.
In the first place the Hun is thoroughly trimmed. The war is over. We have
already left the lines (our Division, that is) and are quartered
comfortably in good warm billets with all the fire we want. It was surely
a wonderful feeling to know that the shells and bullets had at last ceased
to sing their song of death about us. Such a celebration! I have written
you about the last day. The next day we took a trip across the land
between the lines and talked with the Germans. We traded cigarettes and
chocolate even clothes for souvenirs and talked things over. They told us
frankly & emphatically that they were thru and incidentally showed us what
they had waiting for us. All their barbed wire was charged, the roads
mined, etc. All they wanted was a chance to go home, they said. Once there
they didn't care if peace was signed or not they were through.
They surely celebrated by blowing up their dumps, sending all their
rockets skyward, etc. This war just ended at the right time, for believe
me, if they hadn't signed up we were in for the hardest scrap ever.
Everything was jived so that all we had to do was to pull the lanyards and
you would have read of the bloodiest scrap in history. We were again in
one of the hardest sectors on the entire front. They say our fight in the
Argonne made victory possible - and from what I saw of it, it surely
helped toward something. She was a daisy! We've sure been through, sis,
we've been in every memorable scrap. Started our career in the
Chateau-Thierry drive from there to the Argonne forest without a rest, and
when they quit we were before that famous city of Metz. Can you beat that
for a war record! I've never missed a day during all these scraps and am
better than I ever was. Today I was made a full fledged Sargeant Observer,
& am sporting my three stripes. I would trade my experience as an enlisted
man for all the commissions in the U.S.A. I've been through! One thing
that sends my heart to my boots is the news that my best friend Humphries
is dead. I can't believe it. In fact I don't believe it and I am waiting
every day to hear of him or from him. When I think of our good times
together and of what such news would mean to those at home and especially
Ruth I just keep hoping against hope. All I know of him is that when I
last saw him he was horribly done up and I've been hoping to hear how he
made out. Anyone who survived that scrap through the Argonne can shake
hands with himself.
There is a great surprise in store for you soon, sis, take it from me. And
remember I'll always know who pulled me through. It wasn't my own
supplications because I’ve always had an idea that they never went higher
than my head but those from my loved ones were surely heard. I must cease
now, sis, because my “bunkie" is sleeping here with his head on the table
waiting for me to unroll & make my bed with him. It gets dark about 4:30
here and the evenings are so long. I was sorry to hear about Gilchrist
that was tough luck indeed. Gibly wrote telling me of his sister's death
he was greatly broken up. Hope you all survive the "flu" and don't be too
surprised when I stroll in. Must close but will send all my love and write
to mother tomorrow. Best love & a speedy reunion!
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