News From Ft. Crook (Reeves)
We publish herewith a portion of a letter recently received by Dr. A. E. Reeves, who is stationed at the Fort Crook hospital:
Ft. Crook, May 29, 1917.
Mr. F. J. Tuttle,
Dear Sir:—You asked me to write you if anything interesting happened here; well, it happens every day and I will try to tell you a few things in as small a space as I can.
When I reported back here May 1st I was sent to the Post hospital as Acting Surgeon, Major Birkner was Post Surgeon, but he turned it over to me, and I have had charge of the hospital since. We have a fine modern building, modern operating room and sterilizer. I presume my patients in Farnam can hardly think of me as a surgeon, but I have it to do. Last week I had one of the boys come in from Ashland with appendicitis; we brought him here and I operated on him the next morning. He left this morning feeling fine. I have two other surgical cases to operate on Thursday, besides the other sick folks to take care of.
We have sick call at 8:30 to 9:30 each morning; each camp has a sick book and any man who is ailing puts his name on this book and the seargant [sic] brings them to us for treatment. We usually have 20 or 30 a day. This requries more study than you would think, for a great many fellows come just to get out of work and one must be able to distinguish these fellows.
The officers of the regiment have a fine large building and we hire our own cook and furnish our own mess. It cost us about $15 each a month.
Uncle Sam is quite good to us though, we buy sugar at the commisary at $6.30 per cwt., flour, the best, at $1.70 a sack, potatoes and other things in proportion. We get fine durable shoes at $2.81 a pair.
Tomorrow (Thursday) is a legal holiday and the boys are planning on a day off. A ball game is scheduled, and tennis and other amusements.
The most recent calamity that has happened to me is I have to ride a horse, as I am a monunted officer. One or two hours a day riding, makes me almost take my meals standing, but I have a dandy black horse and better still, a redheaded orderly.
At present I have a six room house to live in, furnished in solid mahogany. I have been alone until yesterday a regular army doctor moved in with me.
We are not National Guard any more, but are the 4th Nebraska Infantry in Federal service.
Our regiment is filling very fast. I was appointed Recruiting and Examining officer on the 20th for the Post, and have enlisted a great number of men. It may be of interest to you to know the 4th Neb. Inf. is considered by the war department, second best in the United States, a New York regiment is 1st. We are proud of this and are trying to keep it good and make it better.
We are planning on going to concentration camp about July 15, the 5th Regiment will likely take our place here. There is some talk that we will displace the regular army troops in the Hawaiian [sic] Islands, so they can go to France. Most of our men would rather go to France though, so it is only a guess where we will go, but my belief is we will not leave the U. S. before Dec. 1, and where then is only another guess. I would not venture even an opinion.
It is nearing midnight and I must retire.
Yours truly,
Alfred E. Reeves,
1st Lieut. M. C.
