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Solon H Borglum
Sec'tary
A.E.F. 

Mrs Solon H Borglum 
Norwalk Conn

[[image of triangle]]
American 
Y.M.C.A.
[[/image of triangle]]

 
On Active Service 
WITH THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

My dear Emma & Children 

The days continue to be very beautifull, no rain but to day it was very warm. The young friend of Jims whom he found out was wounded, he was told today that he died, he was wounded on the sixth of June and died on the seventh so Jimms feels very bad. He has been crying almost all day. There has been another big drive going on, of course you know more about it by this time than I could write. There is much that I have seen which I will tell you when I come home. Some of the Nurses that come over with us are allready at work very hard. What you saw going on the boat was red cross section, Nurse section and a group of Jewish men & women going to the Holyland to do red cross work. There is a lot of room for good hard working American women here in the Y work. The few that are here are worked to death. If you could only come over it would be a grate [[great]] help but it would not do in all cases. We have plenty of Y men that are no good and if the wives had come along it would be beroble [bearable?]. But if you know any women there send them to the Y [[strikethrough]] and [[/strikethrough]]. The French are over taxed with their own work. Their burden like the english is very heavy. There is hardly any children in the streets of Paris and every street is kept dark at night. This evening Jim and me went over to see Mr & Mrs Montgomery. I have divided my sugar in to three packages, one for Mrs Montgomery, one for Mrs Banget and one for Franken. You see the soldiers & Y men get what they want, and when they go to the front they get everything but it is very difficult for civilians to get sugar & bread that is they get their allowance which is not much. We at last got our movement papers today so we are quite happy to be sent to do real work. I have seen so much of the real war today (that is the result of it) that I am very anxious to be out doing something. We leave Paris tomorrow at 4:30 for some place in France. If I see any cutting I will make you a little drawing of one, that is if I can get them large enough and well fead[fed] so I can see the form.

The big Birtha [[Bertha]] started to cough up yesterday noon, eight or nine fell and killed some people & a horse. It is really very terrible. No warning. We go about our business. The over burdened french people can be killed any moment without warning by the dirty, murdering, uncircling humans because no animal could be like they are. When the third one went off I went over to the Eifel Tower, where most of them were coming and found a piece of the shell. They make such a silly little hole and they shatter all over. I hope we will soon get the old devils. Now we must begin to pack our things.  
Jim is like an old maid, he is worrying very much about his packing washing and everything else but he is a splendid fellow and I am very glad that we will be close together mostly together. We will not know until we reach Divisional headquarters. From there we are sent out. You see this is fine writing so there is lots of writing. Maybe from now on I will only be able to write shop talk but you will get more news than we through the papers.

lots of love & kisses to you all.  I do wish P all you were with me and all of you but you are doing a great work there.

Transcription Notes:
This letter is a repeat of page 16 where the spelling has been restored