Show 4 T-rr-t T 44 Nj r x 4 J From 44 Cap Capt F W. W n 44 J i Fort Sill Oklahoma Oct 28 1918 pear Dear Mrs hits DuckI Duck Duck Duck- 1 I received your welcome letter i at this station about a week ago It ha haIng have Jog Ing been forwarded here from Fo Fc Fort Riley I 1 and some other men r reo a rather sudden order to r r report re- re port at Fort Sill We did not kno know why we came here but on our arrival army we quickly learned It was wad for service In Jn the base of ot tt the prevalence here of an influenza ep demic The capacity of the hospital had to extend to almost twice Its nal na nat ural oral ability to o care for patients an and consequently the personnel also hato ha hato had to extend They scoured the county country for additional nurses and quite a number of only partially trained He Re Hed Cross nurses were Inducted Into th the service They were all welcome am an and I badly needed but more experience experienced nurses were needed also Many o c of them worked to exhaustion and the theto they to took look Influenza and were dangerously dangerously danger sick One of the ten en medical officers win who left the training camp at Fort Rile Riley took the disease e while on the train He went Immediately to the hospi hospital tal but before a ad pa e hr too bad had died The commanding gave him a military funeral the caisson covered cover casket being on a gun ed ad with a U. U S. S flag and a black blackhorse blackhorse horse lead dismounted In the rear myself and five other officers being pall bearers The body was shipped to his Bloomington ka He was In this service less than thana a month Another of the ten went to the hospital a few days after our arrival but lenow is le isnow Isnow He Hel Is ia still in the institution detachment detachment de de- now You see our had a serious time of It One died or r a of 10 per cent and another I in tho the hospital m making l ng nga a disability of the new personnel 20 per cent You see the enemy we have to fight does not grant an armistice and does not as Der Kaiser Wilhelm even ask for terms I 1 ain am am feeling tine fine and for myself much better indeed than I did when I 1 left Park City City- There are about stationed here The station is an artillery and aviation aYl on one OI e. e The school of artillery fire being being here beret and and nd also an an aviation n nA A school school- the school h th ol-th the two two branches of the ser ear er vice working together one doing t the firing anc the other observing log and dreeling dl d dl reeling the fire Quite a large d dc detachmEnt de- de of f the I artillery young youn me men left eft here for Long Island New York recently My Iy work here Is entirely In th tb the base hospital During the length o othe c of the epidemic myself and one of th the themen men who had been stationed hero here fo fc for some time lime received examined mad made the diagnosis of as many as new net patients a day They were then die to the different wards by usand ua us us' us usand and the medical officer In charge othe o othe or orthe the wards and he treated treated the pats As the epidemic subsided th the emergency receiving station was die continued and the regular routine was adhered to At the present time I 1 am In charge charge sf of two wards and have sixty Tour our patients under my care More Mon indeed than any anyone one man can cartor cart care for or or Under my command are two twi rained trained nurses four tour partially Red Hed ross oss nurses and an enlisted person person- n lei l of sir siX men I Ican can can assure you were we weare ire are all kept busy all the time Welo We Welo Wedo lo do not get an hour eight-hour shift an anre and ve we cannot strike for i If f we did we wean an ill Ii would Ve fined nned up at sunrise an and hot shot There are no deserters in hi the U. U T. T S S. S army We certainly have a splendid body of f young American manhood here to tc todeal eat deal with and the English you heats hear heat is s r all U. U S. S A. A and an there is not a single hyphen to be heard beard anywhere The only thing about it lehat Is le that hat many of these splendid boys are compelled to lay down down their lives bere ere are without being able to strike alow a ablow low blow at the enemy direct Two personnel of the hospi hospi- hospital tal al sl splendid young fellows fellows who were engaged In checking In the clothing at t the recruiting ward contracted the disease and died The epidemic here Is subsiding and andre ande we re e all hope things will be normal lain gain soon I hope the good people of Park City are re e escaping the Influenza epidemic but ut it I 1 fancy with your transient po pop pop- lation some one will bring in the disease sease and large number of ot respiratory diseases always ys present ou eu will pay a toll toU also With best wishes wl hes I 1 am Respectfully CAPT WM J. J BARDSLEY |