Return to the Land

Salem, Va.

Norwell Porter

Dobbins, Ky

Bobbie Arthur Morris Arthur

Russell, Ky.

Of particular note is the upper left hand corner on the first page was the following name:

Miss Louisa Stova 2708 E. Broad St. Richmond, Va.

I never found any references to any special lady in his life during the war. I wonder where this name came from and why was it in his private notes? This mystery may remain in spite of my enthusiasm to know otherwise. Before leaving France he was able to speak French well enough to travel and communicate with the countrymen. Later in life when he would say a few words in French it would seem to irritate my mother. She had always been suspicious of the morality of the French. The notebook remains intact and is as readable today as when it was written in 1918 by my father. There is little doubt that the war left him with indelible memories for the remainder of his life. While there were rewarding experiences during his tour in France there remained the lingering horror of the death of his friends and the constant fear and anxiety of impending doom for himself. In order to have some kind of empathy for this soldier under fire the following is a brief autobiography of my father’s expo sure to the war beginning with the date April 6, 1917. I found the following written in an old faded composition book stored away in one of our trunks at home. Letter to home from D.S. Miller during WWI (Found tucked inside the 1918 notebook) “I am coming back just as soon as we lick the Kaiser, and I do not believe that it will take very long as I suppose you all get lots of good News. The great leader has spoken of going to hell, heaven, or Hoboken N.J. by December. Where are Edgar and Carl now? I have enjoyed myself immensely on my trip and will have lots of things to tell you all just as soon as I come home. It seems like I am still in America somewhere, and not in Europe. So you see I am not one bit home sick. One reason there is so much to be seen, and the scenery is always changing. There is lots of amusement around the camps. I am still with some of my old friends from my original camp. I have plenty of good stout warm clothing.

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