patriotic citizens waving a welcome to us. It was a great sight
and one that the boys will never forget. It seemed so good to see our
own people again--our pretty girls, our fond fathers, our dear
mothers, our elderly folks, and even our street gamins. It gave us a
feeling that we would like to take them all in our arms, for they were
ours and we were theirs. I knew, of course, that there would be none
of my folks to meet me, as my home is in California, but it did me
good to see the other boys meet and greet their mothers, fathers,
sisters and sweethearts.

We started disembarking at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I was on the
top deck and did not get off until 9 o'clock, being among the last to
leave the ship. We were taken on a ferry to Jersey City, where we were
entertained and given food. Later in the evening we were taken to Camp
Merritt, New Jersey, by train. It did seem good to ride on a real
American train, on American soil, and among our countrymen. We arrived
at Camp Merritt at 11 o'clock at night and I was taken to the
hospital. I was assigned to a ward and after getting comfortably fixed
was given a real American meal, and you may be sure that it was
thoroughly enjoyable. We had to stay in the barracks the next day to
undergo a physical examination and for the further purpose of taking
precautions against the persistent cooties--some of the boys having
encountered them on the boat.

The spirit of Christmas was everywhere manifest, and certainly I could
have had no Christmas present better than to arrive in America on
Christmas eve. The Red Cross brought us boxes of good things to eat
and Christmas presents, and the people entertained us wonderfully.
They took us on automobile rides in their private cars, to dinners, to
theaters, etc. Their hospitality was of the real American sort and it
was deeply appreciated by the boys.

At the very first opportunity after reaching camp, I sent a telegram
to my parents in Sacramento, telling them that I had arrived safely. I
received an answer saying that all at home were well, that same day,
and it was a welcome message. It was the first word I had heard from
home since I had been gassed and wounded in October. I had been
transferred from place to place so frequently that my mail never quite
caught up with me. It kept following me around, and I did not get all
my letters until some weeks after I arrived home.

I was in Camp Merritt for a month and five days, and durin