Letter from Toni Thiele, Published in the Cassville Republican
|
Cassville Republican Thursday, June 20, 1918 Dear Father and Mother: Arrived at Hampton Roads, Sunday. Had a great time. We went through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, part of Kentucky, West Virginia, and landed in Virginia. I sure enjoyed the scenery. We followed the Ohio river and the Tug river from Portsmouth, Ohio nearly to Virginia. We went through tunnel after tunnel. I did not get to see the Blue Ridge Mountains as it was night when we went through them. Five hundred left Great Lakes for Virginia. We had twelve cars. They telegraphed from town to town that we were were coming through. People met us at the train with all kinds of eats. Well, I enjoyed that very much. You see the typical colonial homes in this part of the country. You see little log huts along the road, with fourteen or fifteen negroes gathered around it. It reminded me of the old song, "My Old Kentucky Home". The camp is a new one: It is located seven miles north of Norfolk, along Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. I don't like the camp as well as Great Lakes, but suppose I will like it when I am here longer. They sure rush you with classes here, three in the morning three in the afternoon, and one at night. We will stay here eight weeks before we can go to sea. I can pass the examination now, but we can't get out before the eight weeks. Our company commander asks us if we could read blinker. I told him I had caught it all at 18 words a minute, but he didn't believe me. He gave me a test, sending it a little faster than the 18, but I caught it anyway. He was certainly surprised. Half of the Atlantic fleet is here now. I am going down to see the ships soon, if I can get away. The largest transport in the world is here. It was formally a German vessel. It is named the "Fatherland", has fourteen decks and four propellers. Some boat! Well, folks, will close hoping to hear from you very soon. Lovingly, Toni U. S. Naval Operating Base Signal School Hampton Roads, Va. Submitted by Donna Cooper State Historical Society of MO Microfilm |