Corp. Fred G. Himmel, a Hackensack boy, of the 369 th Infantry
{colored} Company D. tells of his company capturing two Boches:

“Dear Auntie: -- You can not imagine the gloom that your missive
took from me when I received it last week. I had been wondering to myself
what was going on at home, but when I received your letter I learned all.
“What do you think of the boys in company D capturing two Boches.
The Germans tried to pull off on us, but we made them take to their heels in
a nasty pursuit.
“Everything is going smoothly with me at present. I have turned from
a dude to a mole now. I can get in under a heap of dirt and sleep just as
comfortable as I could in a feather bed at home. In our last drive I slept in a
field, in a stable, pig pen, holes in the ground, under a hay stack, and under
ammunition wagons. Just picture a road sport of leisure and you can see me
---- haven't shaved in eight weeks and dirty. That is solid soldiering.
 “But I am doing it for you all that this race of ours will progress.
 “CORP. FRED HIMMEL
Co. D. 369 th infantry
 “A.E.F. in France ”

Note: Boches is a disparaging word for a German. A.E.F. Stands for American
 Expeditionary Force. The American and British soldiers refused to fight along side
 “colored” soldiers, only the French troops would fight along side them because of their
 experience fighting with African soldiers in Africa years before.