2 C. U. C. P. ALUMNI JOURNAL January. 19] 8 



LETTERS FROM THE FRONT 



Hospital Corps, 



I02nd F. B. Signal Corps, 



December 20, 19 17. 

 My dear Prof. Arny : — 



To start off with, I wish you and the faculty a Merry, Merry Christmas. 



I had just received your letter and have noticed in it that the frigid weather 

 in New York City has made you wish you were here. To tell you the truth, if 

 you were here you would wish you were back in New York because the weather 

 here seems to be worse than in the city. We had what is called a regular cold 

 spell here for the past two weeks, accompanied by four inches of snow. The 

 water pipes are frozen up. It was so cold here ^hat the water in the fire-bucket 

 that we keep in our tent froze every night. So you see the weather in New York 

 has nothing- on Spartanburg. I washed up only twice a week, that is, every 

 time I went to town to the Y. M. C. A. Yesterday the cold spell broke up and 

 the weather is becoming warmer but only during the daytime. 



My tent is fixed up O. K. Flave wooden floor and sides, electric lights and 

 a tent stove. About blankets, well I should worry about the cold weather during 

 the night. I have more than my share, have five blankets. So you see, I'm not 

 bad off. This is a pretty good war. darn side better than that Mexican Border 

 stuff I had last year. I am satisfied thru and thru. Rather be in the army than 

 home. The only thing' I am kicking about is that although I was one of the 

 first to answer the call. I am still held in America instead of being" sent "over 

 there." Ho])e it will be soon but prospects are pretty slim for quite a while yet. 

 Hope they send us via Camp Mills, would like to be in New York at least once 

 more before I start for "over there." Miller. Kirtland. Burnett, and Coyle are in 

 the 107th Infantry, which is camped next to my outfit. I see the fellows pretty 

 often. I like to hear what is going on in the College, but don't since I haven't 

 received the Alumni Journal since last August. It used to keep me well posted 

 with what was going on at the college. 



Am glad to hear about the C. U. C. P. Service Flag. xAm very proud of it, 

 especiallv because one of the first stars represents me as the first to leave college 

 to enter the service. 



Please let me know if I was the first to leave in the whole of Columbia Uni- 

 versity. Would like to know because it is a big honor to be the first to be called 

 into service from the biggest university in America. You know everybody can't 

 be first, beside the honor of being first is a prize in itself. If I'm not the first 

 please let me know how I stand on the list. I was ordered out sometime last 

 March. 



Am glad to hear that Bacon is "over there" and enjoying himself. What 

 outfit is he with? 



Would like to hear from you the first chance you have any time to answer, 

 that is. after you get through correcting the mid-year examination papers which 

 I am now lucky to duck. 



