(Page 1) ON ACTIVE SERVICE with the AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE AMERICAN Y.M.C.A. Nov 25, 1918 M.C. Moore (1) Dear Father will write you today, it is bad weather here today, has been raining all day & last night. No doubt you have seen on the paper that we have been allowed to write more now as the Censor has been modified & I can tell you where I am & the route I came. When we left Fort Leavenworth we thought we would be at at Camp Upton for a few days but we blew in to New York at 4 o'clock in the evening took a boat over to Long Island, where Upton is & there we were equipped for over seas & left at 4 o'clock the next morning, not even going to bed. Long Island is just off of the N.Y. coast. We got our (Page 2) (2) tin helmets & overseas caps there, also our hard tack & canned meat. We left Hoboken in the morning & layed in the harbor all day until 4 oclock. Then the convoy was formed & we saw the last of the U.S.A. Take it from me I sure got some sea sick too even got sick again when we crossed the English Channel which only took six hrs. We were two weeks on the boat it sailed for 12 days it sure got old never going straight always doing the zig zag course we went far north to avoid the subs & came in through the Irish sea. It was sure gold too & so rough we could hardly stay on deck the little English destroyers would nearly go out of sight under the big waves. You know the Irish sea is always a bad & rough place. We could see Ireland on one side & Scotland on the other, just aft about from 1 to 2 miles on each side. We could see the light houses & green fields on the Scotland side, the Irish coast is just a mass of rocks & cliffs all along & we passed between them nearly all day. We turned nearly south toward Liverpool & got in there early in the morning. Liverpool is next to London & is a Million [sic] population. That night & all next morning we rode through England to South Hampton which is on the south side of England south of London & just across from France. We were in Hampton 2 days in a English rest camp. Some camp too I'll take sunrise in a American camp for (Page 3) 3 several reasons England is a pretty place but the people seem to be rather hard toward the Americans. The French people treat all of us fine but we sure have a bum time trying to understand each other, mostly all arm work. I don't think a French man could talk if his hands were tied. We crossed the channel at night & they sure speeded up some coming over to France too. Chearburg [sic] was the French port we hit. We were there about 2 or 3 days, I don't quite remember which. Then came the hard style traveling we were 2 nights & two days in a slow going freight train. 30 of us in each (Page 4) ON ACTIVE SERVICE with the AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE AMERICAN Y.M.C.A. 4 car. They are small cars of 30 men can hardly lay down so you see we had some time of it. It was sure cold too. Am billeted in Seur France now we are about 180 mile southwest of Paris now. I don't think we will be here long as our trucks & equipment is soon coming & we will most probably be sent to the front. Along the Rhine, as a bunch will be kept there for a while. If I am over here for six months I will get a gold service stripe some boys have 2 now for a year over here. We were on the move nearly a month getting here under all kinds of conditions. I guess some of the boys will soon (Page 5) 5 start back. I know they are sure glad too for a year over here gets on ones nerve I know. I went over to Blois sunday & went through the Famous Castle or Chateau called over in this side of the water. It sure is a beautiful old place we were an hr & a half going through it, it is over 6 centuries old part was built in the 13th century by Louis 12th was in the old dungeons. We can't buy bread here very often. & candy is something we never see. Well it is just a few days untill Thanksgiving I bet people sure have a swell feast this year as every thing is over Write to me & tell & Mamma Hello. Private Dee Moore 421st Fele. Bn. A.P.O. 925 American E.F. (Page 6) Pvt. Dee Moore 451 [illegible text] Signal Corps. Mr. M.C. Moore Kirksville Missouri AMERICAN Y.M.C.A. [illegible postmark] [illegible postmark] (Page 7) W.W.I.123.47