France Dec. 11, 1918.

Roy anticipates his return to the U.S. in this letter. The boys have been talking about their states (each proud of his own) and wish to return home. Roy shows his own state pride and recalls a banquet he attended over a year ago, back in Roaring Spring PA. Also notice that Stella seems to have finally agreed to send the picture Roy asked for nearly a year earlier.

My Dear Friend:

Your most welcome letter of November 14th was received yesterday evening, also the clipping and enjoyed them very much. You see it is not much reading I am doing now. The Y.M.C.A. in Bar-Le-Duc has books and Magazines but I do not seem to get time to read or enjoy them though many of the boys here do so. One thing the Y is doing and which I enjoy, and that is their hot chocolate and bread and jam. And most every time I get down to town I go and get some!

We expect to have our Field cleaned up here soon and then I do not know what we will do. Thirty of our men went up into Alsace-Loraine a few days ago to take care of some planes for the Army of Occupation which is going into Germany. They may be gone for several months and I do not know if we shall stay here until they return or not.

You say we can be proud of our state and we are and every Pennsylvanian should be. She surely has done her share in this war. There are some great arguments here sometimes between boys from different states. We have boys in the Squadron from Pa., Ohio, Mich, Wis, N.Y., Cal., Texas, Tenn., Miss., Ala., Mass., Conn., Fla., N.J., Ind., Ark., Mo, and Washington, D.C. and each one thinks his own state is the best one of all, consequently there are some hot arguments. The other guys call the Pennsylvanian boys coal miners and coal shovelers, while the Californians are prune-pickers Missourins are Mountaineers, Texans are Longhorns and so it goes.

I, too, am sorry we cannot share your nice weather as we have nothing but rain, rain, and more rain. Have had no snow yet and very little cold weather. In fact no cold weather yet it is cool and with the rain it is very disagreeable. So you cannot blame us if we would like to be back in good old U.S.A.

'If I care to have one of those pictures!' I sure would, and hope you will not change your mind. I shall certainly be pleased to receive one of them and shall thank you now in advance and will hope to speak my thanks at closer hand before many months. I believe I asked you for a picture some time ago, while I was in Tennessee. Did I not? I think I sent you a little snapshot from here. Did you ever receive it?

How is Elizabeth? And Mrs Shaffer? What do you think of President Wilson's trip to France? The report is that he is to land at Brest. That is the port at which we landed August 26th but I do not suppose he will go to a rest camp as we did. Ha, Ha! We spent about ten days at Pontanegeu Barracks one of Napoleons old Headquarters and it is some place too, I'll tell you. Bar-Le-Duc is quite an old town, too, you know we are about a mile from there now. It dates back to the eleventh century. One old tower is still standing having been built in the tenth century. It is also the birthplace of President Poincare of France.

I just happened to think that tonight one year ago I had one grand and glorious supper. Mr. Kurtz of the Standard gave a banquet at the Eldon Inn at Roaring Spring to the five boys who were leaving for the Service. We are all in France now I think and instead of a banquet and big supper I had black coffee, beef-stew boiled potatoes, hard bread and molasses for supper. Quite a contrast but we seem to be enjoying it at that. We are all getting fat anyway. I think I must weigh about 176 pound now. One thing is worrying me, though I am afraid I will be too stout to wear my old civilian clothes and surely will not have enough money to buy new ones. Ha, Ha! It will be odd for us to have to buy our clothes and hard to pick what we want, I guess. You see in the Army we do not have watch the styles Ha, Ha!

Well I believe I have scribbled enough for this time. Please do not forget the picture nor change your mind. I really want one. I'll bring you a souvenir from France in exchange. Is it a bargain? Ha, Ha! It's almost time for 'lights out' and my bunk is not yet made up so Good night!

Most sincerely Yours,

Roy D.