That's what I wrote her Al and I bet she can't hardly wait to hear if I'm
comeing or not but I don't suppose they's any chance of them sending us
there and a specially if they find out that anybody wants to go there but
maybe she can fix it to meet me somewheres else and any ways they won't be
no lifes lost if I never see her and maybe it would be better that way. But
a man has got to write letters or do something to keep your mind off what
happened to them poor birds that went in the patrol and a specially when I
come so near being 1 of them.

Your pal, JACK.

* * * * *

_In the Trenchs, May 18._

FRIEND AL: Well Al if I am still alive yet its not because I laid back and
didn't take no chances and I wished some of the baseball boys that use to
call me yellow when I was in there pitching had of seen me last night and
I guess they would of sang a different song only in the 1st. place I was
where they couldn't nobody see me and secondly they would of been so scared
they would of choked to death if they tried to talk let alone sing. But
wait till you hear about it.

Well yesterday P. M. Sargent Crane asked me how I liked life in the trenchs
and I said O. K. only I got tired on acct. of they not being no excitement
or nothing to do and he says oh they's plenty to do and I could go out and
help the boys fix up the bob wire in front of the trenchs like we done
back in the training camp. So I said I didn't see how they could be any
fixing needed as they hadn't nothing happened on this section since the
war started you might say and the birds that was here before us had plenty