Life — August 9, 1917 — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

What We Are in FS the War for a we But we are in the war for something else besides these things pictured above. Wee are in it to destroy Prussian militarism. Read this genuine letter, received from an American boy by one of the members of our staff: \ Somewhere in France. Dear Me, ———: - ’ Thank you so much for sending me Lire every week. I enjoy reading it immensely, Z and so do lots of others who know America and Lire. It is a chan trom the Con- 7 tinental Daily Mail, which is about the only paper we can get out here. 7 We are continuously on the move at present, owing to the German retreat, and it 7 means a lot of work, as Kite Balloon Sections are not exactly mobile. Our first move ¢ tal took us into country not so very long ago “ No Man’s Land,” and the state of the whole Y tte place was indescribable. No one can realize it unless they hav en it. The Germans called it a desert, and it is the first true thing they have said. Now we are in country 7 Enclosed ji re "4 actically > shell-fire, Ty : find One Dol just evacuated and practically untouched by shell-fire, but every ¢ has been burnt Fo ee down or blown up, and everything of any value destroyed by the Huns in their retreat. 13, Foreign Soon after we arrived here we had an exciting time, as a Hun aeroplane managed to Z ght20). Send Live evade our anti-aircraft guns, etc., and attacked our balloon and another successfully, gf for three ‘monthy te ‘ bringing both down in flames. All the observers got out in parachutes, and came safely to earth. It is comforting to see our parachutes open up so well, as probably next time I shall be up in the balloon. We are moving again at present, and are almost wishing the line would settle down again, as the balloon is an unwieldy thing a a ‘ to move about. We are hoping the good weather is coming, but last month was awful, and April has not done any better. We have either raging hurricat pouring rain or blizzards. One minute the ground is covered with snow, 7 er the next minute it is under water. I hope America’s entry will help to end this sooner; the sooner the better, as far as all of us are concerned. Please give my kindest regards to Mrs. and the rest of =— your family. Open only to new subscribers’ no sub- Your Arrectionate Gopson. scriptions renewed at this rate. Send LIFE each week toa soldier at the front. Domestic V4 LIFE, 17 West 31st Street, New York. 2 rates will suffice if you send it to him in care of the 7 5 American Expeditionary Forces. // One Year, $5.00. (Canadian, $5.52; Foreign, $6.04.) comicbooks.fomi