The Western Star, August 10, 1917.
Two Sailor Boys Write to Home Folks
U. S. Naval Yards
New Orleans, La.
August 2, 1917.To all our Comanche-co. friends,
We are writing a letter to the STAR, thinking that you might be interested in what we are doing, where we are, etc.From George P. Johnston:
We have been training ever since the day we were received at the Great Lakes Station and have had very little time to think about writing. Now we have more time and liberty so will write a few lines to our friends and readers of the Coldwater Star. I realize that I am in the U. S. Navy and learned that there was a great difference made in the life I used to live while at home among friends shortly after I got off the cars at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. After spending three months and a half of hard training at the Lakes we were sent to the U. S. Naval Yards, New Orleans, La., where we noticed a great change in climate and in the way of naval training. I am well pleased with the treatment we receive here and like it fine only at nights the big hungry looking mosquitos come out to get a square meal by sticking their long bills in my arms and legs.
Will make this short on account of it putting the editor to too much trouble and will wish my young friends that are in the draft for the Army a safe journey home after helping to get the Kaiser's scalp and making Germany tip her hat to the old U. S. A.
Sincerely yours,
George P. JohnstonFrom Albert L. Fridley:
Although we haven't written before, we have thought of our friends and the people of Coldwater very often in the last four months, but they have kept us pretty busy training and we haven't had but very little time to ourselves. We first began to realize that we were in the Navy about twenty minutes after we passed through the gates at the Great Lakes Training Station. They didn't have time to fool with a man there and when they gave orders we had to jump although we didn't know what was the meaning of them. We had three and a half months training at the Great Lakes. We are trained the same as the army for artillery and infantry fighting. There were sixteen thousand at the Great Lakes Station, which is the best station in the United States. We had a fine trip from the Great Lakes to this station. This is a much smaller station and they are not near so strict. We have school on Navigation and Seamanship four hours every day. The rest of the time we have to ourselves. It is awful hot here, but we are getting used to it. We expect to go to sea within the next few weeks. We are all anxious to go across and help "Can the Kaiser." I am afraid to write anymore as it will be too much for the editor to print. I will close, thanking the editor and wishing all our friends the best of health and happiness, and to all the boys, who go into the fight for liberty and freedom, the best of luck and safe return.
A. L. Fridley
Also see: Complete list of Comanche County boys who are subject to draft, 13 July 1917.
Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!
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