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1 Letters from ‘‘Our Boys” j6 aoc»s«9asascQaa3BagRxnB«a»QCC sn;,.3cs*os .juccaaooc.Nov. 8, 1918.Somewhere in France My Dear Father:Well, wo are still fighting the Boche und believe me it is not the kind of lighting they did during the Civil War either, this is real, modern warfare, with a machine gun at every angle, and there large cannons we do things that seem impossible. All they want is your address and if it is in a radius of 05 or 70 miles they ran drop a shell on you and when this shell passes through the air it sounds like a freight car. Then the gas shells that senJ out a gas cloud and u little bit of that gas will kill a number of fellows. Then there is the airp'ane that drops the liombs any old place they want to, so you see a fellow isn’t safe anywhere here, and the only reason a fellow don't get hit is because he is lucky enough to dodge all these things.The old Ninth Battalion of Ohio has been doing great work, holding their own fine. They are always sent over the top first, and they havdy all proven themselves brave soldiers. Several of the boys have won the War Cross. Of course several have been wounded but they are getting along line, as none of these fellows were seriously wounded, s me that you know who were wounded ure JohnButler, Garfield Jones, Clarence Sawyer and Ralph Taylor, hut as I said these fellows are doing fine.Surely I wish I could be there and eat Thanksgiving dinner with you all. I have been from home now on two Thanksgiving days and the way everything looks 1 will be away on two Christmas days, but let -us hope that this terrible war will be over soon and we will nil be marching home again. I am so anxious to see Gladys und Rosalind. I hope Rosalind won’t forget me. I hate to be away from her so long.Remember me to everybody and tell anybody they can write to any of us fellows over here and we will be glad to get it. Ask the church to pray for us, so that we will be home soon. With love to all the folks 1 will close. Let me hear from you soon.I am well, so don't worry about me, just write to me.From your loving son,SERG. CLIFTON WILLIS. Headquarters Co., 372 Reg., 179 France, via N. Y.American Expeditionary Forces, A. F. O. Mobile 766, November 10, 1918.Mr. J. II. Rives.Dear Sir:I have been pressed for writing you, but have been pressed for time. • I am with the 317th Engineers from Camp Sherman, Ohio. Most of these boys that are with this regiment are from Ohio, Oklahoma, and Pa.. We were trained at Camp Sherman by colored officers since we have been overseas we have had white commissioned officers and colored non-commissioned officers. We arrived in France June 19. We were carried across the country to a small town about forty miles behind the line. There we finished.our engineering training. Aft»r staying there about six w^eks, we were rushed up to a certain front, a quiet sector; but after we got there. 345(1 3456 34534 after we got there, the boys wanted to try their rifles and machine-guns out, and that quiet front then became a noisy and hot one. and siric^ then we have boon just .ike a circus, moving forward regularly. Many of the men have performed some brave and daring stunts, going over the top, cap-turiuf' 11 ua nrimaors and towns. Wehave been moving from one front to another, and when the Huns see that we anj-on any certain front, the moment they sec our brown fuces with our dazzling cold steel and our accurate gunners singing as they go over No Man’ll Land, they at once begin to retreat. We are advancing so fast that we engineers have to work overtime to keep the roads in shape foi our light and heavy artillery.I am connected with the engineers' band and don't have time to get to the front line. Wc ore in the rear going from place to place giving*daily concerts to the soldiers who arc relieved from the front,I never knew the intrinsic value of music until I' noticed the boys from the front line as they stand and enjoj the rhythm of French and American patriotic mc'odies und selections. It there is anything like the soldier’s blues, the American music is a cure for them. We have been rendering music for various staff officers anu French audiences with valuable ap plause.I nin proud to say tliut the morale of our regiment and division is worthy of honor and consideration. Also th» conduct and Aiauly quu.itics of oui men in connection with the people oi the various towns and cities that w. have -passed through and camped can not be surpassed. The same has beet highly complimented by the Frencl. people.During the spare time and res periods, our men have beep found witl a French grammar in their hand, learning to master the French Ian guage, and at this period a large num her of them can speak French fluently The second drnlT of men from Duytoi ure doing fine.- They were put nmoni our regiment. 1 see them often, u often think of Dayton, Ohio, and a peace is said to be drawing near, . hope to visit you und your beautifucity.Yours truly,JAS. TIFFIN POWELL. ,(Barber at Green Williams.iNEW YEAR POST CARD SHOWER FOR COLORED SOLDIERS AND SAILORSThe colored people of Dayton havt perfected a plan that will bring cheei to many a lad in khaki or blue win will be unable to spend their Christ mas holidays at home und that is foi ail the relatives and friends of thesi boys who can possibly do so to sem them at once a New Year card with a cheering message from home. • Als to send all the dully papers and othc; good reading matter they can as thi boys are hungry for news from home whether in cantonments in the U. S or on duty “over there.” It is a duty we owe them and a pleasant priviiegt to comply with so simple a request Beside those in regular army or navy service, it is suggested that “every body” should send New Year cardi of greeting to the two Y. M. C. A secretaries, who have honored Dayto; so highly, namely Edward T. Banks whose yyjdrcss is No. 12 Rue I). Aguessmtn, Paris, France, cart American Y. M. C. A. The add res: of Mr. Higgins is Charles 1). Hig gins, Y. M. C. A. Secretary. Camp Stuart, Newport News, Va., No. 8237 Army Unit.Some of the wounded and their last P. O. address are Cuptuin R. H. Mai lory, Dept, of L., Co. 22, A. P. O. 703. A. E. F., A. V. Hospital No. 200. Serg. John M. Butler, A. P. O. 702, Mase Hospital, France, A. E. F. ■ George Black, Base Hospital No. 68 France. Garfield Jones.HOW COLORED PEOPLE BOUGHT FOURTH LIBERTY LOANThe following reports of Negroes support of the Fourth Liberty Loan have come to us: $700,000 Memphis renn.; $202,000 Muskogee, Okla.; $350,000 New York City; $200,000 Nashville, Tenn.; $60,150 Dallas, Tex. i surplus of $10,150; 2,950 employee, of the Norfolk, Va., Navy Yard, $180-, 000; the Brown Savings Bank, Norfolk subscribed four times its alot-ment of $22,000; in two weeks colored citizens of Berkley, Va., raised upwards of $60,000; u $250,000 quota for Pittsburgh, Pa., brought $1,006, 200; the North Carolina Mutual In surance Company has a total of $160,-000 for the four loans; 2,106 person: subscribed $115,600 through the Mutual Savings Bank, Norfolk, Va., nim and one-half times the allotment; pu pils of the Stowe School, Cincinnati Ohio, $15,000; Walter M. Meade, : twelve-year-old orphan in Hartford Conn., who has four brothers serving in France, os a Boy Scout sold $1,60( worth of bonds; 36 coal-miners at St Claivsville, Ohio, $4,050; 34 employee f Die Big Four Roundhouse, Net York Central Lines, at Colurabu: Ohio, $5,000; Paul Quinn College Waco, Texas, $12,000; in Oklahom, Citv. Okla.. colored workers, undo
Newspaper Details
The Dayton Forum
Dayton, Ohio, US
Fri, Dec 20, 1918
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Gina S.
USA 17 Jan 2025
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