Smart businessman: Liberty Loan Bonds

Camp Sheridan

Montgomery, Ala.

Nov. 1, 1917

My Dear Mother; 

Dad's letter of 28th rec. I shall take out a 10 thousand dollar policy in the Gov Ins. plan. I almost think I shall be able to carry my 2 Liberty Loan Bonds and my Ins. with my pay. If I run short of cash, I will take advantage of Dad's kind offer by having him send me what I might happen to need.

Frank Cullen is broken in to Army life now and is getting along O.K. He is in the same Co with Earl McBride & Harry Van Hoesen. Their Co. is about as far from ours, as 721 Walbridge is from the German church. 

I saw Lamont McGinnis & the old Hi. School bunch the other day when I was once to their camp.

I rec. a letter from Burleigh & one from Aunt Mayme this a.m.

I got a letter from Miriam Good yesterday. She is at Ohio Wesleyan University. Says Malcolm is trying to get a commission in the Army.

Feeling fine as silk.

Love to All
Howard

There you go again, Howard...being all responsible and financially prudent and showing up all the other 19 year-olds. Here's a quick summary of what I learned from Wikipedia on Liberty Bonds in 1917:

Basically, the government first issued the bonds in April 1917 as a means to raise funds for the war effort. Although the bonds sold out, it pretty much failed. Bond-sellers who didn't meet their quota were actually investigated for being pro-German and unpatriotic for not doing their duty. The government upped their efforts again in October with a higher interest rate on the bonds, but they were still a dud. It wasn't until April 1918 that, with the help of movie stars and patriotic advertising, they had some success.

So, Howard was ahead of his time again. He bought the bonds as a prudent financial investment, before it was the popular thing to do, just because Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford told you to do it.

The picture of (assumingly) Howard above was in the letter that I opened. I'm not sure if it belonged with it, or if someone else just shoved it in there since Howard didn't reference it in the letter. However, the back of the picture says "Lollar's, B'ham, Ala", so it's likely from his time at Camp Sheridan.