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

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tired, we plod wearily home eaeh evening, hul never diseouraged or with daini)ened si)irits, for we all know that it is all work towards the one end, that of defeating the areh enemy of eivilization in his mad and monstrous ambition. My stay in eamp here has been very agreeable. Many aecjiiaintanees of years’ standing were renewed. There is Hoyle and Keelan and many of the others of Loyola, whom I have met sinee eoming here, and it eertainly was good to meet them and talk over bygone days and of Loyola. No doubt you at home wonder how we utilize our idle hours; that is to say, our former idle hours. I will endeavor to relate a few of our many methods of enjoying ourselves. Before eoming to the Training Camj) for Officers, which opened January 5, I was attached to Company “C,” of the 313th. I luul been j)romoted to sergeant and acted as 1st sergeant on numerous occasions and, therefore, was kept quite busy; hut despite the manifold duties of these positions I had plenty of opportunities for relaxation and pleasure. Our chief sport in the first months here was, of course, baseball ; then came football, and later came the gathering around our big fires here, singing and relating experiences of our young lives. Then later on the “Y ' s” and K. of C. Buildings were opened. Music, motion pictures, box- ing contests, hasketbalt and entertainments of all dcscrijitions vere suiijilied in these buildings, and the efforts of these organizations, to disjiel gloom and break the monotony of canij) life, arc indeed successful. Their work is wonderful. In the early months, Wednesday and Sat- urday afternoons and all day Sunday, the camp was open to visitors, who thronged here in great numbers, and it is a sight worth seeing to view mothers, wives, sweethearts, brothers and sisters strolling about the camp. Many times I had visitors and many times I did not; on (he latter occasions I busied myself with reading until I would fall asleej), which usually was not long after I had begun to read. You know sleej)- ing, or “hunk fatigue,” is one of our chief occupations when not engaged otherwise, and soldiers surely can sleep despite the fact that snores are as loud as big guns. We have a great variety of snoring. During the cold winter months, things were not c[uitc as comfortable as they would have been at home, and there were ([uite a few hardships to he borne, which were new to us; hut we soon became accustomed to them and grumbling and discontent vanished as we did. One of the distinct happenings that will ever remain with me is the dci)arture of many of my friends from our Com])any. Shortly, or rather a jnonth or so after we arrived, all the boys whom I had known in childhood and my early youth were sent away, and it was a ])arting that I will never forget. On our trip down to caini) we had renewed ac([uaintanceshi])s, and were all together in barracks as one ha])py family, each sharing 28

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parte. Our boys are the backbone of the battalion. I can’t think of one who isn’t a non-commissioned officer. I believe Keating will he hack from the Otticers’ Training Camp with a commission in a short time. Even Jimmy Arthur is a recently made corporal. Jesse James had nothing on me in my present role. I am in the guardhouse with a big .45 automatic strapped to my thigh guarding a few prisoners. None of our fel- lows has ever been in the “brig.” For some reason they don’t seem to he in a hurry about sending us o v e r, although we are considered veiy efficient. Ralph J. Sybert. FRANK PURVIS U. S. S. Arizona Camp Meade, Md. In the six months which I have spent here in preparation for my trip “Over There,” I have received many letters from those at home, hut I do not know of any which gave me so much i)leasure and joy as did yours of recent date. I probably have delayed considerably in replying, hut I know you will pardon this when I tell you that in the Officers’ Training School here, we are kept busy from early morn until “Taps,” and oft times later. What few moments we do have (and ihey are indeed few) are mostly taken up in shining shoes, washing leggings, and what not. One is continually kept on the go. This week, especially, is a strenuous one. I wish you could witness us ploughing around in mud and water-fdled trenches in an effort to repair them after the havoc wrought by the recent rains. Many of us never realized the great amount of dirt a pick and shovel could make tly until this week, and I assure you we now have first hand knowledge of the utility of these meager implements, both in making dirt fly and in making blisters. Wet and hungry, dirty and 27

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EIGHT EUYOLA HOYS IN GAMP Standing. left to right — STAN. COOK. NEIL GOKGORAN, YILLIAM KEATING, .TEUOME WALSH. Sitting, left to right — EKED. DEWP.EKKY, THOMAS AKTHUR, STE YART EENAYICK. HUGH McLOUGHLIN with the other, joys, sorrows, and planning what we would do upon our arrival “Over There.” We had renewed our former strong friendships, and were quite contented, until one day a large number of men were called to go away. All of these boys, whom I had grown to know even better than before, and to look for each evening, left us bright and early the following A. M. It was indeed hard to lose them, and the incvitalile lump was in my throat as I hade them good-bye, but we soon became accustomed to this happening, and now when troops are leaving there is just a cheery good-bye and good luck, and with a wave of the hand they are off. You probably recall our jiarade in Baltimore, in October, I think it was. We all looked anxiously forward to that day, and when, during the storm and rain, it seemed as though we would not go, we were surely disheartened, but it cleared later in the day, and our jog of two miles or so to the trains tlirough the mud was as nothing to us. We rode to tlie city in dark coaches, singing during the entire trip, and were glad we were on our way. Arriving in Baltimore we formed for parade, and I know many hearts were swelled with pride among us as we marched 29