October 2, 1917 - George Almost Returns to Rockford, IL

[George has been using the stationary provided by the YMCA for the past couple of weeks of writing. I didn't scan each of them but used the first header over and over.  I thought I'd scan another one and it can be seen that for this short time he was numbering the letters so his family would know if they had missed any.  He did this periodically, but was not consistent.  This October 2 letter was the 5th letter. He did not identify sequences of post cards as a general rule.]

 Jefferson Barracks

 October 2, 1917

Dear Ones All:

             Guess you better ring off on the letters for a little till you hear from me again.  But maybe you have already for I have received no mail for two days.  What is the matter? 

            There, I tell you to stop writing and then start asking questions first thing.

            Well, you see, I expect to entrain to-morrow for Camp Logan, Houston, Tex. if the Government doesn’t change its mind again.  This is the first letter I’ve written you in the last two or three days because I didn’t want to disappoint you.  And as it turns out it was lucky.

            Two days ago I was called out of drill, and received printed orders to proceed with 9 others of  Ill. National Guard Eng. to Rockford, Ill.  But I have already seen so many changes and disappointments that I made up my mind not to make many plans until we were actually at Rockford.  And I was right, for to-night, two hours before we were to entrain, reverse orders sending us to Camp Logan arrived.  So maybe I’ll start for Tex to-morrow.

            Of course this was quite a disappointment to me, for I met a man from Rockford this A.M. who put me n the way of getting acquainted with one of the Non-C officers at Rockford and incidentally a “dandy straight girl,” from his description, which by the way is something that seems to be a scarce article in army life. 

            Of course my hopes of home, Beaver Dam and visit or two at McCleneghan's were also revived some, but as I said at the outset, the news had seemed too good to be true all along, so I received the reverse English for Tex with scarcely a jolt.

            And I hope everything is O.K. at home because as I said, no mail in two days, and if we start on schedule – which I doubt – will have no chance to get any to-morrow. 

            Well, hurrah for U.S. &Tex anyway.  A lot of fellows envy us at that.

            Guess this is all the news for now.  Don’t be surprised if you hear from me any old place on this globe – I almost said the universe.

                                                            Love to all – George