January 18, 1919
Dear Father and Mother:
I received your letter of December 6th yesterday. Will write a line or two in answer, although there is not much to write about since my last letter.
You ask how I enjoyed Thanksgiving. Well I can’t say that I enjoyed it much. I left the hospital on November 24th and spent four days in a replacement camp about twelve miles from Paris. On Thanksgiving day I was aboard a troop train consisting of about 20 box cars bound for St. Dizier about 200 miles east. We were about 24 hours on the trip and our chow consisted or Corned Willy (known in civilian life as Corned Beef) and hard tack and canned tomatoes. From St. Dizier I went to Toul in Lorraine, Eastern France. Stayed there until Christmas day when I was again aboard a boxcar special bound for Germany.
Christmas dinner consisted of the above mentioned menu with the addition of two boxes of candy donated by the Red Cross. This year I expect to eat my holiday dinners at home with Pa as mess Sergeant and Ma as cook. I will then make up for what I didn’t get last year.
The government has written twice from Washington that they were unable to locate you as in regard to the allotment, but they now have your correct address so you will soon be receiving the payments again. If in the future you should change your address again notify the War Department as it would save a lot of trouble and keep matters from getting mixed up.
I will enclose some postcard views of the town we are in (Engers) and of some other places along the Rhine.
With love and best wishes to all. Your son,
Robert E. Schalles
1st Amb Co. 2nd Div.
American E.F.