Jan 21, 1918.

Dear Marie,

I am sorry that you are not feeling well. What is wrong with Mother? I
want you to keep the sweater so of course you may alter it as you like.
There are no negatives in my desk except the ones that I took with Roy’s
camera. Did you get the picture of the Cantonment that I sent? The
little signet ring you gave me shows very plainly in that picture of you
picking cherries by the porch. Do you remember when we took that picture
on July 4^(th)? The ring is quite distinct in that picture of you in the
canoe with the duck. Have you got these two pictures? It doesn’t look as
if we will take any more next summer. We have our pistol belts now and
all our equipment and clothes has been stamped A6F.BN.S.C. We were all
measured for shoes a short time ago. I put on a 9D shoe the first time,
picked up the dumbbell and stood on one foot while the lietenent felt of
the shoe to see how it fit. He said it was too small so I had to take a
9 ½ C. It looks as if we are going to do some footwork alright. We are
no longer mounted. Never again will the bugle blow “Prepare to Mount”
for Co. A-6. We expect to have motor equipment before we leave U.S. Each
morning I attend a motor class for two hours at the War College. There
are six others from A-6 in the same class. The work is quite
interesting.

I have been transferred to the First Section. This section does more
actual field work than the 5^(th) section, which moves about very little
in real service. The section-chief, Sergeant Baber, is the telegraph
instructor of the Company. He sure is a fine fellow and is some operator
alright. Corporal Abrahams, with whom rode as far as Chi., Thanksgiving,
is also in this section. The “First” is probably the leading section in
the Company and I sure am glad to get in it. I had to take my three
triple-typhoid innoculations all over again as the old record was lost
at the hospital. This differs from a vaccination as the serum is
injected with a hypodermic needle. I am not going to argue vaccination
at long range but I know that no M.D. will ever get a shot at me after I
get back in civilian life.

Well the Company goes on guard again tomorrow night so I think I will
hit the straw early tonight.

With love,

Forrest.