H.E. Cole
Editor of Baraboo News, Baraboo, Wis.
Dear Sir,
Having a moment to write you a letter, I first want to thank you for sending the Baraboo News to me each day. It keeps me posted on affairs at home, which I would otherwise miss.
I have been here about two weeks and I like the life fine, although there is nothing easy about it. The first ten days I was here I did practically nothing but drill. We drilled all day last Sunday and we have put in some evenings in study. They are putting us thru a three months course in a little less than four weeks in my case. This week I am working nights on what they call garage detail. We work various garages all over the city repairing cars, and at the same time are giving us instruction. I happen to be working at the Yellow Cab and Shaw Taxi’s Center Garage. Our hours are 8 P.M. to 4 A.M. and we work, believe me. We are to and from Camp Scott in Red Cross touring cars. This is the only time we leave the camp as no passes are granted, unless absolutely necessary.
We eat our meals at the Edelweiss Gardens, which have been turned over to the camp. The Edelweiss people are paid $1.50 a day for feeding each man, and we have excellent food for the army. I can’t exactly say army yet as we are not sworn in until a couiple of days before we leave for overseas.
We then are sworn in the U.S. Army as ambulance drivers and are given one of the best outfits to go overseas with. I will enumerate in brief what each overseas outfit contains besides our regular army uniform. First, an individual steamer trunk, a revolver, fur lined coat, rubber boots, four pairs of army shoes, six army shirts, six pairs of woolen under clothes, six pairs of woolen socks, two trench caps, trench helmet, safety razor, all necessary toilet articles and several other things which I have forgotten just now.
Any married man, a lad of seventeen or one who has reached eighteen since the Sept. 12th, registration, a man who for some very slight physical defect is given deferred classification in the draft, are all eligible in the service providing they can pass the physical examination. If any man wants to see the quickest and most active service in the army this is the branch to join. If anyone who really wants to be of real service to the Government if he will send me a stamped addressed envelope, I will try to explain the detail to him.
I will close now as it is time to go to work, which is about all we do here.
Pvt. Harold A. Kingsford
Company C., Third Detachment
Camp Scott
Chicago, Ill.
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