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Show LIEUT. DUD TELLS OF THE JOY OF , PM.1! To have had the unsurpassed pleasure pleas-ure of being in Paris oh November 11, when the armistice was signed, was t the good fortune of Lieutenant A. H. I Aland, son of Mr. and Mrs., Aland of Ogden. Lieutenant Aland is now with the American Red Cross hospital near Paris and writes the following most interesting in-teresting letter to his parents. "My new station is just thirty miles from Paris by the underground railway, rail-way, and thus I have a chance to get uptown almost every day and to see some of the wonderful things of Paris as well. I had always wanted to be in Paris when the day qf peace was declared de-clared and, most fortunately for me, I hnd that pleasure on the 11th hour of Uuj 11th day of the 11th month. The city simply went wild. and has been so ever since. Even today the streets wore jammed with people singing the Marsalllaise and expressing their great joy to the fullest extent. "The town Is bedecked with allied colors and the streets and buildings are lighted for tho first lime in four years. Joy is unbounded here. I can imagine the time wo will have when wo will all get back. "The hospital I am in is a beautiful big building .now housing about 2500 wounded and sick soldiers most of whom are Americans, but, however, a few Frenchmen. "This -was the hospital that was tho first real American hospital in France. I met an old friend of mine who be-1 longs to u mobile hospital unit that is one which is all on wheels. It has a sterilizing room, operating room, kitchen, laundry, etc.. all on a big truck, and may be called to any part of the front "I suppose the armistice came as a big surprise at homo, coming so suddenly. sud-denly. And as a matter of fact, I was surprised, too, although I had been told times by Frenchmen that it would be over before Christmas. I did not think that Germany was so nearly beaten, but it is certain now that she is broken brok-en into pieces so completely that she will probably never again regain the high plaoe she held among the nations of the world. I think the allies will make tho terms such that she never will. "Since I have been near Paris again I have had an opportunity to visit a number of very famous historical places, including Napoleon's tomb, the Arch of Triumph, the many beautiful bridge sover the Seine in Paris and the town of Versailles, where several of the kings and queens of France once lived. There are probably tho most gorgeous rooms there of any in existence exist-ence and tho forest and gardens are the most beautiful I have ever seen. "When I was out to see Napoleon's tomb I saw tho airplane with which Guynemour, the most famous French aviator, brought down nineteen boche planes. It was called 'Old Charlie.' I could write for hours about Versailles but will have to leave these things to tell you when I get back home." no |
