Coblenz Germany March 4 My dear friend. I am writing you a little story of an unlucky man whoes name will be signed later at the bottom of the page. On September 19th uncle Sam came threw my window with a terrible Draft which sent me whirling into the army or into a training camp at Camp Funston Kansas.
I sure was some soldier when I landed there, hump backed weight height 5 ft 4 inches. Here at Camp Funston I trained six months, drilling eight hours per day, falling out at night for five drill March 15th I was transfered to [Newport News, Virginia] to the third division where on April 6 sailed on the Great Northern for Brest France.
We had many a seasick soldier before we landed it took us just nine days to come across. Our ship sure was a fast baby 33 knots per hour but our escort was slow. We did not see any submarines but earley one morning one of our sharp eyed gunners. Taking no chances at a fixed range of five miles he sunk the target the first shot.
I understand on the boat three behind us our gunners sure had it out right with three submarines which all thre went to the bottom. I was transfered from Brest to Sexfontain where we were trained three months ten and twelve hours per day. I was transfered into the scouts as an observer. My main buisnes was to do no fighting but watch the boche of every thing they did from a heigh point. We were told that the Boche wa comming to Paris and the 3 division was going to stop them. We landed at Chateau [Thierry] July 1 comming in hearing distance of a terrible battle going on machine guns popping and the French artillery firing like machine guns.
We were doing a force march tword this battle with gas mask at the alert position. Just 1 hour later our machine gunners took position on a bridge across the Mason river.
