December 12, 1918
Columbus, Ohio

My Dear Mother and Dad,

Gee, it has been a long, long time since I have heard from my folks. That is, in person, for I had a letter from Harry today and he enclosed your letter to me. It was rather late as it had gone to Baltimore and was then sent here.

Well, Mama, we have been here a week today, and don't have any idea if we will leave here soon or not. I rather expect to leave for somewhere and I am hoping that somewhere will be home. Our officers don't know a thing or anyway they don't tell anything. It sure makes a fellow want to go out to see the fellows coming through every day with their papers.

We had a pretty good trip the last time through with the trucks, only it was pretty darned cold and especially as we crossed the mountains. It snowed and rained most of the time. All of the mountains were perfectly white as we came back on the train. It is not very cold here now, but rains a little just about every day.

They are getting real strict and disciplined with us, here of late. We have revielle and retreat just the same as when we were in Camp, and guards are on all the time. I was Sergeant of the Guard last night and couldn't leave the place. Some of the boys were having a little too good a time as it was, I guess. You see, there were so many soldiers coming through with their discharges and they can go into any saloon and drink, you know. Well, our men got to borrowing their papers and getting their drinks also till the saloonkeepers thought that every soldier had his papers, I reckon, so any of us could go in and they wouldn't ask any questions.

Well, I got me all the beer I wanted to drink before they stopped that. One of our officers came by the door and saw a bunch of his men in at the bar, so he had the place pinched, and now a man in uniform can't even go inside a barroom. All the same to me, for I don't care to consume much of the stuff anyway. The only thing that I can complain of is a toothache I have had for about a week. Not bad, but just continually, which makes me a bit disagreeable at times. You know, they never did fix my teeth while I was at Funston, and I don't want them messing with them now. If I get out anyways soon, I will have them fixed the first thing I do!

We have been put into the Motor Convoy Service, and until we get released from that, we can't be mustered out. They say that Camp Funston is quarantined again for flu, so no telling when we would get out of there if we were sent back.

Well, Mama, I have about spilled all the knowledge that was in my cocoa at this time, so I will discontinue for the present and hope to hear from my Ma and Dad very soon. I will let you hear of my where-abouts very often now. Oodles of love to you both.

Your son,

Charles L.

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