Letter 100 ~ November 20, 1918

The regimental band plays outside the Auditorium at Camp Funston

I tell Minnie we are still being trained. I also mention something of the entertainment at Camp Funston. Camp Funston November 20, 1918 Dear Little Girl, I will hurry & write what I can before the entertainment begins. There is to be one of some sort tonight. There isn’t much news. We just keep drilling as usual. I don’t see what good there is in having the war over the way they continue to train us. We had our dinner in the field as usual today but about two o’clock instead of going right to drilling they assembled the whole regiment around a truck & we sang songs. Lieut. Guthrie led and the regimental band accompanied. It was rather cold today & especially this morning. We noticed it because we worked up a sweat marching to the field & the problem that we were out necessitated our being idle for about two hours because E Company formed the reserve of a line of outguards. We laid around behind rocks on the hill side out of the wind & piled up like pigs trying to keep warm. Tomorrow we go out to drill with our overcoats on. We signed the payroll tonight but we won’t get our pay until after the first. Our Company goes on guard tomorrow but I missed it this time. I expect I will have to go on sometime when I want to get off on a pass. I stopped to listen to a lecture on “Valley Forge” & when I looked around for my fountain pen someone had taken it. It was an illustrated lecture & was pretty good but the best part of the entertainment was an imitator. I heard him once about six years ago at a Chautauqua at Manhattan. He sure was fine. He would imitate things from the country & he almost made me homesick. He imitated roosters crowing, hens calling their chickens, cows, pigs, bees, etc. Why, he could fool the animals themselves. Well, I hope I hear from you tomorrow. I haven’t heard from you very often lately. Well, good night & sweet dreams. -- Ward