Jan. 6, 1917
My Dear Mother: -
Your New Year's letter received. It was quite a treat with all the short ones. They were all gladly received.
I'm glad to hear that Arthur Junior Tatum has at last received some sight out of his eyes. He certainly was willing to do anything which would enable him to see.
I rec. a letter from cous. Mildred Sprout, Malcom Good, and Dick Rohn, thanking me for the pictures. Who all did you send them to?
We worked hard all day Friday & today preparing our equipment for our Efficiency Test. Monday. All day Sunday I shall clean harness, etc.
I hope we pass it with a high average.
I rec. a letter from Mrs. Rivers also.
I guess Billy Jacobs who is now down at the Fire Sta. intends to come to Toledo next month to accept a position which he has offered to him.
Old Capt. Sullivan is just the same as ever. Did Dad send him the 7&B&S Co's 1917 calendar yet, which he told me he was going to send him He has not rec. it yet.
The 8th Reg. turn in their animals the 13th & prepare to return to their home station at Akron, Ohio
From what I hear, Troop D. is going to put a piece in Toledo papers to rectify the ones which have been in lately about them. They are sore to think that some things have been printed which knocked the Troop, in that they were not as bad off as they pretended to be.
Got a letter from Leona today, bawling me out for the short letters I have been sending her of late. Evidently, a page & a half does not suit her, so I will close & write her a nice long one to make up for the short ones I have been sending.
Am feeling fine as silk
Love to All
Howard
Although it didn't allude directly to Troop D, I found this article in the January 18, 1917 edition of the Toledo News-Bee that possibly could be related to what Howard writes about. The article was an exclusive interview between a Toledo reporter and General John J. Pershing. The reporter states, "I had brought a personal letter from a very intimate friend in the states, and I expect that it was because of this that the general granted me the first exclusive interview since he has been in been France." She also says, "I had been at many of the training camps in the states, and I ventured that even he would be astonished at the splendid morale and wonderful physical hardihood of the American selective army." Perhaps one of Troop D's captains had a convenient friendship with the reporter and/or Pershing and was able to put in a good word about the morale of the troops?
On a more personal note to Howard, a quick ancestry search shows that Malcom Good was the son of Howard's father's brother, Noah. Howard and Malcom were about the same age and the family lived in Cleveland. Mildred was the daughter of Howard's father's sister, Emma. Mildred was also around Howard's age and lived in south central Michigan in Branch county. Dick Rohn was the son of Howard's mother's sister Mabel. He was just 10 years old and lived in Lima, Ohio with his family. It sounds like Effie was very proud of her son and sent his picture to pretty much the entire family!
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