Newspaper Article, September 15, 1917

[Newspaper Article: Quincy Daily Herald, September 15, 1917, p. 1, col. x]

On Board Fifth Regiment Special, Somewhere in a St. Louis Freight Yard, Sept. 14, 8 P. M.—Thanks to the C., B. & Q., the special drew into the Frisco yards on time tonight but, owing to the fact that a trainload of Franklin county coal lined the track on one side and a train of box cars were on the other side, the biggest passenger train the Burlington has hauled into St. Louis this year didn't have room enough to budge an inch and so our boys in olive drab didn't get to stretch their legs, as Col. Wood had hoped they would. However, they reckon they'll be going through the Ozarks about ten in the morning and mountain air is a heap sight better for leg stretching exercise than the soft coal atmosphere of St. Louis.

Agent Ellis delivered the train of twenty-two cars to the Frisco line in a hurry after first seeing to it that all electric lights were in working order, fresh ice water taken aboard, screens placed in windows and other little attentions shown that would make for the continued comfort of the boys on their long trip.

You people of Quincy had an easy time of it saying goodbye, compared to the time The Herald man had last night. For an hour he has been shaking hands and repeating the goodbye and good luck and God bless you stuff and nearly every man has given him some little last farewell message to deliver to someone. He thought he had a fair memory, but if he should tie a string around his finger for every time he was asked to say something to somebody back at home for a soldier boy, he sure would be all wound around with a woolen string that would extend from here to New York and back. However, he is going to try to boil the various messages down and tell it in just plain human language, without fuss and feathers, without any frills.

Say to the people of Quincy that we are as comfortable as bugs in a rug and as happy as school boys. We are doing no more than other men are doing. We are doing our bit and doing it cheerfully. We are ready for whatever may develop and we are going into this thing to win fame for Illinois and especially for Quincy, Adams county, Bloomington, Danville, Canton, Springfield, Alton and the other sections of the state our brave men hail from. I am proud of my men and I know that they are some of the best soldiers in America. I say this advisedly and following talks with army men who know what they are talking about. Tell the people of Quincy that we love them and we are proud tonight to be able to go to bed in comfortable quarters with sweet dreams of those back home.

I want The Herald to say to the men and women of Quincy that we think the Quincy women the bravest women and the best women in the world. The way they held their nerve when it came time to say the last goodbye was an inspiration itself to our boys. We had thought that the parting would be heartbreaking, that there might be such things as hysterics, smelling salts and sensation when the final word had to be said. Some of us dreaded the thought. Some of us were actually more afraid of it than we would be of German bullets, but now that it is over, it is really a beautiful thing to us to be going away with the knowledge that our women were brave, that they parted with us with sweet smiles and softly spoken words of love. We are most happy tonight in the thought that the women controlled their feelings, that they who are offering great sacrifices are doing it so nobly and so patriotically.

I'm going along to be on hand if I'm needed, but I have a hunch that a regimental surgeon with the Fifth won't be kept very busy for our boys are going to pop the Fritzies over before they can say Jack Robinson. Say goodbye and good luck to the dear ones at home and tell 'em sickness in the camp will not be, for the grub is too good and the boys are too healthy.

God bless the people of Quincy. Our prayers will be for them, our thoughts of home will spur us on to victory in whatever we may undertake. We're going over, but we won't have to remain long, for Uncle Sam is going to do his job quickly. Our fellows are a brave lot and they will never forget the loyalty of Quincy people.

Say to the people of Quincy that we will keep track of their doings through the Herald and tell The Herald not to be afraid to send papers enough to the Army Y to go around. Next to his grub a soldier surely does like to read about doings in his own home town.

Long live the man who sent us the hogshead of soda pop, plus the hogshead of ginger ale. If any of us needed pep, we have it now in the contents of the last named container. But we've got pop aside from that and plenty of it. Just the same, you tell it to J. J. Flynn that the first helmet we spike we'll send to him by parcels post. As for the folks in Quincy, you tell 'em to watch the headlines in the newspapers after we get over to the other side. We'll show 'em.

Tell it to the world that Quincy knows how to give the soldiers the right kind of a send off. Glad am I that I was privileged to be in the parade this morning through such a patriotic multitude.