My grandfather, Robert E. Schalles, served our country in World War One as a member of the First Ambulance Company of the 2nd Division and was wounded in action. He was born in 1893 and died in 1991 at the age of 98. The following is a letter he wrote home to his mother at the end of the war.

I should also tell you that this is a real letter. In the past I had some students who thought I made this up(I have no idea why :-) ) and I want to make sure that everyone knows that this is a real letter written by my real grandfather. Whenever I read these words of his it makes me wish I had known him better.

You can see his picture, more of his letters and some World War I artifacts he handed down to my mother after he died on the memorial web site I built in his honor located here.

Regards,

Mr. Draeger

Knights of Columbus
Army of Occupation

Date May 11, 1919
A.P.O. 710
City Sayn

Dear Mother,

I will now try and write you a few lines as May 11th is Mother's Day and we all feel it our duty to observe it as we did last year.

It seems to me when I think back over the time that has past since last "Mother's Day," that an experience of a whole life time has been crowded into a year.

While a year ago saw us at the front getting a little taste of war, still as one might say we were first recruits getting our first training. At that time we had not much idea of what hardships we were to endure later, of the long marches over strange roads at night, while during the day we were forced to stay hid in the woods to keep out of sight of enemy airplanes and get what sleep we could. Then we did not quite realize in full the awful nights at the front were everything seemed ablaze with the fire of machine guns and rifles and the scream of shells flying through the air and the terrible explosions that tore men to pieces, of the cries and the moanings of the wounded and of the countless hardships and sufferings which it is almost impossible to describe and can never be realized except by being there. All this has made an impression on me that I never will forget.

June 5 will be eighteen months since I left the United States and during this time it seems as though many years have been crowded in.

Now that it is over and we are all looking forward to the time when we will be home and free, a month seems as if a year. I for one will sure appreciate home as never before.

The latest news out here is that we start home in June and we sure are all hoping it is true. Germany and France and the rest of Europe I guess are all right for those that like to live here, but it is too far from America for me. I expect Joe is home by this time. I hope he is having a good time, and if we start home next month expect I will be home by the middle of the summer. Well, I guess this is about all for this time with love and best wishes to all I am your Son,

Robert E. Schalles
1st Amb. Co. 2nd Div.
Army of Occupation
Germany

Millstone Education:World Literature

World War One Letter Home by Robert E. Schalles

Millstone Education:
World Literature

World War One Letter Home
by Robert E. Schalles