From Tyler Daily Courier-Times, December 3, 1917:
Letter From Camp Travis
Promotions Come to Tyler Boys – Studying French
Camp Travis, November 27, 1917. The holiday will soon be here and the boys at Camp Travis are looking forward to them with pleasure. Thanksgiving is just two days off now, and we will have a big Football game and many other events that day to entertain us. Our Thanksgiving dinner will compare favorable, if not surpass many that will be enjoyed by the average American citizen on that day and the menu for same will be as follows:
The following men of Company L were made First Class Privates during the past week.
From Rusk County – George E. Walker of the Monroe Community, Claud J. Lasseter of Overton and Ben E. Barrett of the Hickey Community, George H. Gilbreath and Lee Roy Anderson of Mt. Enterprise, Olen B. Adams of Dirgin and Joe G. Lloyd of Henderson. Lloyd is also an acting Corporal.
From Cherokee County – Arthur C. Hughes, Bunion White, and George R. Singleton of Jacksonville, Shelly H. Lee, Robt. F. Holcomb and Wm. B. Thompson of Rusk and Ben and Grover McGaughey of Alto, Sam J. Cole of Turney.
From Smith County – Burnett C. Pierce, Bob Herring, Tom Wilbourn, Roscoe D. Ferrell, Jas. A. Burke, Jesse Roberson, Chas. I. Muller, William _ Thompson, Douglass Allen, Henry Moore, Cleburne Houston and Homer H. Golden.
The following men were detailed by the Company Commander this week to attend the French School: Acting Corporal Jas. I Perkins, Sergeant Edward Garner, Sergeant Sylvester J. Nash, Sergeant Jas. O. Allen, Corporate Harry W. Albertson and Luther W. Thompson. They will have an eight weeks course and those who finish the same will be given a certificate by the Extension Department of the University of Texas.
The following men from Company “L” were detailed this week to go on the target range at Leon Springs to learn to shoot and handle the new Enfield rifle and to later act as instructors to the remainder of the Company: Wm. B. Thompson, John W. Hurmans, Robt. F. Holcomb, and Arthur C. Hughes.
Heavy overcoats are being issued to the men of the Company and within a few days heavy woolen O.D. suits will be issued to all of the men of the company, in fact a great many of the men at Camp Travis have already received O.D. sits.
We are all getting along fine and in good health except for a few cases of the measles and mumps which have not been serious. With best wishes to all of the home folks from the boys. We are,
Sincerely yours,
Marvin Kendrick.
Jas. O. Allen.
I will be doing a profile of the Smith County soldiers as soon as possible and will link their profile to this article. The soldiers that are identified as being from Smith County are as follows:
- Burnett C. Pierce,
- Bob Herring,
- Tom Wilbourn,
- Roscoe D. Ferrell,
- Jas. A. Burke,
- Jesse Roberson,
- Chas. I. Muller,
- William _ Thompson,
- Douglass Allen,
- Henry Moore,
- Cleburne Houston and
- Homer H. Golden.
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