R. King letter to Oscar Bausch - December 28, 1919
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[December] 28, [1919] Dear Friend Bausch: I am still here in this Hospital & I like this army life very well & furthermore while all the other M.D.s (Captains & Lieuts) are all trying to get out. I am one who is trying to stay in. So far everything has been more or less a pleasure and an interesting post graduate course to me & if my age will not count against me. I will stand a good chance to stay in the service. The 1st 11 days I spent at Greenleaf drilling – setting up exercises, lectures quizzes, gas warfare protection & all kinds of examinations, even a mental one to test the quickness & alertness & resourcefulness in different emergencies which all may arise in warfare. This was such a novel proceeding that our friend –Professor [Henry Milton] Whelpley
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[page 2] ought to try it out on some of the embryo pill rollers in the College. Here, we agreed that only a crazy man could probably make a good percentage as speed & other usual abnormal qualities are strongly developed in such brains. They asked all sorts of questions. Amongst them one was Who was Irwin Cobb & almost all answered “a noted Ball player”. I wonder what the noted writer would think about his ball playing reputation which we diagnosed in this case for him at Greenleaf, [Georgia] After these eleven days of drilling, learning etc bendes making beds, scrubbing cots & policing the grounds which means picking cigarette buds – matches & other rubbish from the grounds I was finally called to headquarters at bed time to report to Headquarters in the morning to get my shots (meaning vaccination against next
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[page 3] small pox & the different forms of typhoid fevers & then report at the Port of Hoboken, [New Jersey] for overseas duty. Well, I proceeded to Hoboken but could not help stopping off one day at Washington D.C. to go sightseeing & this I enjoyed to my heart’s content as sightseeing is always & has been one of my failings The next day I reported at Hoboken & the 1st thing they asked me whether I had a room & at what address - I answered I just got in & had no room yet & they they asked me to get one & report the next day. It then occurred to me that I made a mistake taking 2 days in Washington instead of one & I told him so & he only smiled. This meant another full day & of course I started with sightseeing in New York. This kept up from day to day & then I
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[page 4] got myself a little book, telling tourists about “150 things worth seeing in New York & “yours truly” started to see them at least once & some 2 times & as this thing kept on nearly 3 weeks before I got new orders - I found when I checked up that I covered these interesting things almost to a finish; besides the time I spent at Embarkation Hospital No 3 (the old Siegel Cooper Depart Store which the Government remodeled) for an up to date Hospital of 5000 to 6000 beds & the [clinic] is at the [New York] Post Grad College of Medicine. New York certainly has a warm spot in my heart for the people are generous to a fault. Theater parties, dances, lectures, sight seeing trips, dinners & even private people ask you to got to their homes & dine or lunch with
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[page 5] Thanksgiving day, I had to eat 2 turkey dinners (1 for dinner & 1 for supper) & then was invited to take another one with some prominent family later in the evening. Of course I was sorry that I could not accept it, because 2 is about all an ordinary soldier can stand in 1 day. Another funny thing happened to me while here. After about a week of this grand experience I was asked whether I did not want a leave of absence for a few days & I told him if he could make it a week or 10 days I could take a trip home; otherwise (3 days he said I could have) I did not see how I could improve my vacation (as I called it) & I also asked him to hold those 3 days over until I was entitled to
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[page 6] another 3 days & then I could use the 6 in one stretch. Well he laughed but could not promise me that arrangement. So finally when I got orders to come to Newport News & when they wanted to send me straight down by way of St. Charles. I told him that Baltimore or Washington would suit me better, as I never had heard of St. Charles but I did of the others. he finally agreed to let me go my way & as I had quite enough time stamped on my RR. Ticket to get a nice stop over & again went sightseeing – 2 day mine in [New York] & 1 day each in Baltimore & Washington. So when I finally got here & reported to my Commander & told him about my trip – he laughed & the others officers
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[page 7] so heartily that he gave me another day to go over to Norfolk, [Virginia] & said it would be a pity to spoil my pleasure trip in the 1st day of my arrival here. The next day however, I was assigned to this Hospital & went to real work which I like very well as Uncle Sam has every laboratory facility installed to aid in diagnosis & with my past experience both in Pharmacy & medicine at home it was a very short time when I was put in full charge of a ward where I am now working with good success & while 95% of others wish to get out of the service, I am one of those who would like to stay in. [written in margin] With kindest regards to Doctor Whelpley & yourself & family I am your friend Capt. R. King.
Details
| Title | R. King letter to Oscar Bausch - December 28, 1919 |
| Creator | King, R. |
| Source | King, R. Letter to Oscar Bausch. 28 December 1919. Dr. Henry Milton Whelpley Collection, 1826-1929. A1737. Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, Missouri. |
| Description | R. King sent this letter to Oscar Bausch. King described his military service in great detail including his time in camp, his assignment at the hospital and the traveling and sightseeing he had done while in the service. This letter was written on Officers’ Club Embarkation Hospital, Camp Stuart, Virginia letterhead. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918; Camp Stuart (Va.) |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | A1737 |
| Contributing Institution | Missouri History Museum |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond those allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Missouri History Museum: 314-746-4510 |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. Contact the Missouri History Museum's Permissions Office at 314-746-4511 to obtain written consent. |
| Date Original | December 28, 1919 |
| Language | English |