May 12th 1918

Dear Folks;

Today is Sunday, I have put in almost a week here in camp. During the fore part of the week it rained a great deal and was quite cold.

They sure do hammer one around for the first two or three weeks. Every thing in the army is done at a certain time and believe me it is done.

There were five hundred of us left Los Angeles on the troop train. The night before we left the Brown’s took us out for a ride and afterwards to a dancing resort out of Los Angeles near Venice. I had several drinks that evening. We did not get home until two o’clock, therefore in the morning I did not feel just right. The train left that day at one o’clock. The following night I only got a couple of hours sleep and the next day, was on the bus.

I had a headache, bad cold, and during the day a fever started up. At six o’clock I was all in and instead of eating supper I went to bed. I told them, I wold be all right in the morning if I could get a little sleep. The Captain in charge brought a doctor in to look at me and of course took my fever which was 104 degrees. He advised that I be taken off the train there at a small town called Dunsmuir, Calif. They put me in a hospital there, did not give my anything to eat for three days, when finally the doctor concluded there was nothing the matter with me and lucked thru with something to eat. In a couple of days I was up and ready to start out again. I arrived here at Camp Lewis on Monday.

The first thing they do with you here in camp is to vaccinate you for thyroid fever. This consists of three inspections administered a week apart. They make your arm awful sore, putting you on the burn in general. Each injection is more severe than the proceeding one. One of their shots makes you awful sick. Up to date, I have only received one and expect to get the second tomorrow. I suppose this shot will make me sick. My vaccination did not take and they will give me another one.

I was up at the infirmary the other morning when some of the boys were getting the second shot. I saw three consecutive fellows faint as the doctor inserted the needle into their arm clear to the bone.

For the first three weeks you are quarantined in your barrack, until you get over the affects of the vaccination and they are certain that no disease has been brought into camps by their person.

Up to date we have not been able to secure all of our uniforms yet. We were the last list to arrive on the draft and the supply in camps is practically exhausted, although they will have us fitted on in a short time.

The government furnishes you with three blankets for a bed together with a bag of straw for a mattress; a uniform clothing with extra changes.

In the morning you get up at 5:45 and have to be dressed and outside for will call in five minutes. Believe me you have got to create some speed, until one gets used to his outfit. If you are late, you get punished by placing you on “kitchen police” for a week.

At the present time I am in a division called the Depot Brigade, that is made up of men called on the draft. I will stay in this division until I am ‘mustered in and get over the effects of the vaccinations. By “mustered in’ I mean, passed the physical examination. After we have been mustered in according to ability and physical make up we may be transferred to other companies. I don’t think that we will be kept here very long.

I have been presented with a gun and am acting corporal of a squad.

The infantry is awful hard graft, there is nothing to that. I think it is the hardest graft of any branch of the army.

Up to date I have not heard whether a drafted man can transfer to other branches of the army or not. If it is possible I am sure going to get out of this branch. It is too ‘dammed’ hard work.

I will write you again some date next week. Don’t forget to drop me a line now and then.

With love to all,
Ira L. Kent.

42nd. Company,
11th Battalion

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