Loyola University Maryland - Evergreen / Green and Gray Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

Page 25 text:

ClIAIiLES LETTS Engiiiper Corps (Franco) Loyola men over there where service means so much more, and incidents are heavy with interest, our little happen- ings are as nothing; but since you r equest it. Father — here goes. As you know, our com- pany, though much smaller than it is now under the new army plan, was originally the machine gun company of the old Fifth Maryland, and when the present war was declared it was assigned to Port Covington, in Baltimore, to perform guard duty there, “Those were the happy days,” but this we realized only after we had reached our present camping grounds. And they were our “rookie” days, though at the time we thought we could lick the Kaiser and his pals with our four Lewis automatic ritles and our “thirty-eight” revolvers. I can never forget 1113 first few daj s at the Port. I still believe that during them I chopped enough wood to last six regiments for six wars. The uniform I was to be issued was resting complacentl} at the arinoiy and I was doing no drilling; so, lest I should think I had struck a life of leisure, they kept me bus with detail, and this mostl} on the wood pile. But like all good things. Port Covington did not last veiy long. Toward the end of Jul} we learned that the Marjdand Brigade was to go to a camp at Anniston, Alabama, for intensive training prior to overseas service, and that it was to be a part of the Twentj -ninth Division. Having been with the Southern Bailwaj just before enlist- ing, I had heard of Anniston, but I was one of the few enlightened ones in our companjc Daj s and da s went b} and no otlicial talk of leaving. Then one sunshiity da} ' in August, our captain drove through the camp gate, old number one post, in his olive drab Overland, and told us to pack, for in the morning we would leave for CockeA ' sville. We packed, and the next da} ' started for this Baltimore County town where we had learned our regiment was to mobilize before entraining for the southland. We were the first company on the scene and it was up to us to pre- pare the camp. For the most part we were new at the game, but there was willingness in the actions and paces of all. In short order there was a huge water tank set up, with a gasoline 23

Page 24 text:

Anniston, Ala. Your letter of the 7th was reeeived last Sunday, News of dear Loyola is always weleoine and interesting. It was good to learn that so many from the old sehool are now in the serviee. We all know that if they earry out what was taught them there, there would he about 175 Napoleons in the army of Unele Sam, that is, from the military point of view. Sorry that the College haskethall team eould’nt “earry on.” “Carry on” is quite English, hut our ollieers love to use it. We had a rather fair team in our hattalion, witli Stan Cook, Jimmie Arthur, Steve Campbell and myself among the players, hut it was not like playing for Loyola, and I missed Seheurieh who used to he o])j)osite me at forward. Cheering to know that so many “fair ones” are knitting and sewing for us. We hope that no one of our hoys will have aii} use for the bandages, hut we are glad that they are being made and appreciate beyond words the spirit of the good ladies. We have no idea when we shall he sent across. “Call to Quarters” has just sounded, so I must he getting under the covers. Best regards to all at Loyola. Neil Cohcohan. Camp McClellan, Anniston, Ala. Many thanks. Father, for the Christmas greetings from you and the priests at Loj ola. Have been thinking of all of you and wanting to write but I hardly get time to get a line home. About half of our hattalion spent the night of Christmas Eve fight- ing a forest fire. We fared well at all the meals on Christmas Day. Stan Cook did himself jiroud. Hope you are well. Father, and I wish you a sincere Happy New Year. Neil Corcoran. Camp McClellan, Anniston, Ala. I believe I told you how much jileasure the letters you sent to all the old Loyola ho s afforded, and with so many of tliem in the com- panies of our hattalion one could scarcely go a yard on the Sunday they were received without the query “Did you get a letter from Father Fleming?” being ])ut to him. And because there are so many former Loyola students in this camj), it makes one feel a sort of delicacy in telling of soldier life and giving his jiersonal exj)eriences, for fear there will he such a sameness of the letters sent to you; tlien too, with so many 22

Page 26 text:

motor pumping; showers installed, eompany streets laid oil, and when the other eompanies began to roll in, it was not long before a pretty little eamp site had si)rung up. It was here we became aetiuainted with mud, that is, thoroughly aec[uainted; all men in the army become so before they can really be called soldiers. As the days travelled by we began to realize that soon we would be leaving our dear old Baltimore and its loved ones, to he about that grim and stern business we had enlisted to carry on, and time seemed to take wings. Then came the day for departure, Sunday, September 16, a day no old Fifth Maryland man can forget. The day before had been most disagreeable, a dreary rain falling, and our camp a sea of mud, which made the sending away of the i)roperty very dithcult. A mean night followed, hut when reveille drew us out early that Sunday morning, we saw with joy that “old Sol” had decided to he among those present when farewells were said. Our company was on the last section to leave from Timonium, so we had more time with our relatives and friends than many of oiu comrades. It was wonderful, the spirit disi)layed by the womenfolk on that Sunday. We were down here but a few days when our company became Company “C,” llOth Machine Gun Battalion which was the divisional machine gun battalion. Instead of the light Lewis guns we learned that we were to use heavy water-cooled guns, and from seventy-four men, the old war strength of a machine gun company, we were now to have one hundred and seventy-two men. These were selected from the com])anies of the Fifth. In our battalion. Company “A” was from Delaware; Com])any “B” from New Jersey; Company “C” from Mary- land and Company “D” from Virginia. The Delaware troojis left for the north after a few months, and a new Coinjiany “A” was formed from the remaining comj)anies. We had not been here very long when we began to exj)erience how Linsunny the “Sunny South” could he. We thought we were going to have a comfortable temperature the year round, but when the mercury began to travel towards zero and there linger and tarry for weeks, and real old-fashioned snow, like we used to ])low through in Baltimore, began to fall not unfrequently ; and when, to keep warm, we had to wear every stitch of knitted goods our kind friends and thoughtful Bal- timore societies had sent us, we knew that Dixie, at least where we were, was not so near the e([uator after all. Did 3 ' ou know. Father, that at Christmas the Loyola Club sent us gifts, and the i)eo])le of Baltimore, through 27?c Sun, sent each of us a j)ackage? And maybe they were not api)reciated ! 24