Marine Corps Privates John Mickelson, Jr., and Chase Mickelson have arrived in France, according to a letter received by their parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Mickelson, of 502 W. First Street. Both young Mickelsons are with the 5th Marine Regiment, and from their letters the hearty enthusiasm of the American contingent can be perceived. Chase says the following:

“Dear Mom and Dad, Arrived somewhere in France [censored] days ago. The trip over was grand. I would certainly recommend seeing the ocean. The only hitch was that a bunch of us got ‘mal-de-mere,’ as they say—seasick. I recovered just fine so don’t worry. Jack was sick some, too, but by the end both of us were full of pep and rolling with the punches, you could say.

“The scene at the harbor where we landed was not like anything you could imagine. We were one of many ships to arrive at once, and all hundreds of us crowded onto the deck to see the long-awaited sight of land. I tell you Columbus himself could not have been happier to see land. All of us were looking down onto the dock, and on the dock were massive crowds of French people, all standing shoulder to shoulder. They were not cheering us, not even talking much, they were just looking up at us like they were waiting to see what we would do.

“It was some fun getting all the equipment unloaded. The Army had sent some fellows but it wasn’t near enough to handle all the ships, so us Marines got going and unloaded our own ship. You’ve never seen such a mass of goods. They were piled on the dock almost as high as the first deck. You’ve never heard such noise as this impatient bunch of thousands of us boys ready to fight a war, only to be slowed down by the business of ‘organization.’

“As for the rest of it, all the boys are fine, except they complain there’s not enough excitement. Last night we all saw a boxing match put on by the YMCA. We hear we’ll be going for more training. For now I am billeted with a nice French family and sleep in the hayloft with a bunch of other boys. The hayloft is right in the house, since there’s only one dwelling for both people and animals. The priority for our comfort is only slightly below that of the animals. Jack is billeted in another part of town, but I see him almost every night when we go downtown. During the day we go on foot marches, and stand in line for food and whatever else we need.

“Mom, don’t worry about me or Jack. I’m certain that once we get started it won’t be long before we finish the job and are able to come home again.