Charles Stevenson letter to Commanding Officer, Co. A, 314th Engineers - January 16, 1919

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Co. A, 314th Engrs. American Ex. Force Germany January 16, 1919 FROM : Sergt. 1st Class Charles S. Stevenson, Co. A, 314th Engrs. TO : Commanding Officer, Co. A, 314th Engrs. SUBJECT : Comment on extent and value of services of Red Cross and Y. M. C. A. 1. Too much publicity and not enough activity is the consensus of opinion of the men in this organization as regards their experience with the Y. M. C. A. in France. Its continual mercenary attitude in relation to generous and liberal spirit of other organizations caused much unfavorable comment among our men. Many articles, too, seemed excessively high. During the [St. Mihiel Offensive], it was our aggressiveness and initiative that got us anything the Y. M. C. A. had to offer and had it not been for the personal acquaintanceship of one of our men with various secretaries, we might have had nothing. Contrary to publicity reports the Y. M. C. A. never came to us - we always had to hunt it out and then go to it. 2. During our stay in the Argonne - Meuse sector, we were furnished with a small amount of foodstuffs as long as we were stationery, but when we began to move forward in the offensive beginning November 1, the only time we even heard of the Y. M. C. A. was by reading of it. 3. As a general rule, the organization was most libereal with writing paper and reading matter whenever available. Numerous request for athletic goods were made by us; promises to secure what we wanted were made by their secretaries and never fulfilled but once. We realize the difficulties exacted by the transportations problem, but continually reading of the extended activities of the Y. M. C. A. in the back area and of its so-called close relationship to the men, it is our opinion that the Y. M. C. A. did not measure up to its standard or our expectations. Sergt. 1st Cl. C.S. Stevenson 1. All of our relations with the Red Cross have been most pleasant and agreeable. During our stay in the training sector, the Red Cross furnished us with essential articles, such as towels, soap, tooth paste and the likes, things we could not buy thru any other source. The welfare of the men was always first and the personal feelings of the Red Cross workers were adjusted to that end. At four or five places, the Red Cross aided us very effectively and the men all appreciated it a great deal. The distribution of newspapers was one of the most appreciated acts. Sergt. 1st Cl. C.S.Stevenson