Hertford Boy, Home From France, Now at Camp Where He First Trained, April 11, 1919

From The Hertford County Herald, Ahoskie, N.C., April 11, 1919.

Hertford Boy Returns to the States From the Front

Camp Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

March 29, 1919

Dear Mother and Father:

Just a few lines to let you hear from me this beautiful sun shiney morning. I am well and all right, just feeling fine as a dandy, certainly hope you are all well and feeling good. Listen, just one year ago this morning I left my dear old home to be a soldier and what a beautiful day it was. Oh! how sad to leave the dear ones, did not know whether I would ever see home again or not.

What a sad thought it was to me but I feel like now I will see home and the dear ones I left behind soon.

You cannot imagine how happy I feel this morning to think that I am back to the dear old camp which first trained me to be a soldier.

I feel like the Lord has heard and answered prayers, don’t you? I ask him every day of my life to carry me through the dark ways of life, which I have been, and bring me safely back to the dear old U.S.A., this old pen just cannot express how good I feel.

But there are so many of my comrades cannot say for themselves, for they were left behind in France.

Guess you received my telegram I sent you, all o.k.

Carie and I are still together.

Mother I don’t know how long I will be here, but hope it won’t be long. We had a very pleasant trip coming across the pond when we landed at Charleston, S.C., the Y.M.C.A. and Red Cross gave us all kinds of good things to eat, believe me we all had some picnic on our way to camp. Say won’t you have all kinds of good things for me when I get home for you know I want something good to eat. Ha! Ha.

Will write again real soon with love and best wishes and a whole lots of kisses to all.

Sincerely, your soldier boy,

Tommie