May the New Year be the happiest of all years with peace – the joys of peace – felt and appreciated as never before in every home.

For most of his time in France Grant Willard was constrained by the rules of military censorship. He couldn't mention where he was or which battles were raging around him. Inexactitude was the order of the day. Occasionally when he was too specific, his letters would be cut to shreds literally by a censor.

But now that the war was over, he was free to write what he wanted to loved ones back home. In this long letter he summarizes the history of SSU 647.

Convois Autos.,
S.S.U. 647,
Par B.C.M.,
France.

Monday – Nov. 25, 1918

Dearest Family:-

This, my Xmas letter and Xmas present to you, is being composed under difficulties. We are seven in number, all hovered around a small coal stove in our barracks trying to keep warm. John Rority is reading Tennyson aloud to those who care to listen. The rest of us are busy on Xmas letters. You will therefore understand lack of sequence and misspelling.

Xmas, coming but once a year and being a time set aside for more or less unique purposes, should furnish incentive for something more or less unique by way of a letter to you on this occasion. I think I am in a position to give it to you. As I understand the new order we are now permitted to include in our epistles the names of towns, organizations and experiences in France without fear of being picked up by the censor. In fact, anything but a criticism of the army and army methods is to be permitted henceforth. So by way of novelty I shall try to give you a brief account of what we have been through of late, where we are now and what we expect to do between now and the time of expected embarkation.

Sandricourt base

I can cover the early history of section 647 in a very few words. We were organized at Sandricourt (the base camp of the U.S.A.A.S.) in October 1917. We were held there as a unit doing day labor on roads, barracks and Ford cars until February 1918. Sandricourt is a very small village about 35 miles northwest of Paris. The base camp was in a large château just out of the village. (The camp has since been moved.) In February the section bade farewell to Sandricourt, going to Fort Vanves just outside the walls of the city of Paris where two weeks were spent in assembling a section of Fords from the crate for our own use. It was hard work but we enjoyed every minute of it because we were at last off by ourselves under the command of our own lieutenant (a Lieutenant Anderson, now a captain, from most anywhere – no longer with us.) Incidentally we got an excellent lot of care by doing our own assembling and it surely has since proved to be to our benefit. On February 10 we reached Base Hospital 66 at Neufchâteau with our section of new cars, one Packard truck, one trailer kitchen, one Ford staff car, one Ford light truck and 20 ambulances. Yours truly was assigned to #11 in convoy and I am still driving the same #11. We were at Neufchâteau until April 15 doing evacuation work to and from various Base Hospitals in that section of the country and to and from hospital trains coming from the front or going to the larger hospitals. 

647 men at Neufchâteau

As you will remember, this stay at Base 66 marked a period of great discontent in the ranks of 647. We wanted to get to the front. We were doing child’s work. This period very nearly saw the breaking up of 647. Applications for transfer were being turned in regularly by many of the more discontented. We pulled out just in time to save disaster to join the 26th Division then on the Lorraine front in the Toul sector. The 26th, you know, is a Massachusetts division and has made quite a name for itself as fighters over here. Though the front was not particularly lively in this sector at this time we found we had our hands full with a division of inexperienced men and officers on a front of their own for the first time. It was also the first time they had worked with an S.S.U. section and many complications ensued before we were finally understood. 

We finally ended with the 26th by taking over all the evacuating of wounded and sick from the first aid dressing stations to the regimental aid stations. This kept us all on post practically all the time our only salvation being the comparative tranquility on the front. It was during the Seicheprey affair (when the Boche came over and held this American town for about an hour) that I was gassed together with seven others in our section. We had two cars in Seicheprey when the Boche entered but they didn’t get far enough in to get our men nor our cars. We were also in the Xivray racket and lost two cars at Beaumont by direct fire. Later, in the Boche raid on Jury woods, we lost Tod Gillett and two more cars. And thus it went by spurts and spells. These raids were very exciting but the rest of it was very quiet.

About June 25 the 26th Division left the Toul front for Château-Thierry but instead of going with them as we expected we were left to work with the 82nd Division. The 82nd was a brand-new division and as green as they make them. At first they were brigaded with the French but later took the front over to themselves. The Toul sector quieted down considerably after the 26th left and we quite enjoyed ourselves for a time. Wow, but they were a green bunch of boys and officers. Some of the men could speak English but the majority of them could not. The officers were mostly southerners and on the whole, a very fine group of men. This division is called the All-American Division.  Met some Minnesota boys in the outfit but didn’t know any of them before coming over here.

On Aug. 6 the 89th Division, General Wood’s division fresh from the States, pulled into relieve the 82nd. On Aug. 7 Fritz put over a very heavy gas barrage and caught the 89th sleeping. So instead of pulling out with the 82nd as we had planned we were called in to help out the 89th. For two days steady we evacuated 89th gas patients. From 8 A.M. until 4 P.M. on Aug. 8th our section had evacuated 782 gas patients from this division. Before the day was over their own sanitary train came and we worked together until daylight of the 9th. At the park we gave our cars a complete overhauling and on Aug. 16 we left for Millery to rejoin the 82nd Division on the Pont-à-Mousson front, still in the same general locality as when near Seicheprey. Here we really began to get acquainted with our division and every one of us was ashamed of our first impressions. Maybe they were small; maybe they couldn’t speak English; maybe they were ignorant regarding military strategy but they surely knew what to do with a Boche when they ran across him and they weren’t a bit reluctant about going out looking for him either.

Montsec

On the morning of Sept. 12 the first real test was presented to our division.  This was the opening of the St. Mihiel drive. We were way on the right wing so our part was small compared to those divisions further west and north. One of the main pushes was made right out of Seicheprey by the 1st Division. In two days’ time after the drive started the old Mount Sec which we used to fear so much (because the Boche could see us on the roads from this hill when we worked that sector) was used as a headquarters for S.S.U. 649, then working with the 1st Division. It was during this drive that I got my first experience in working in territory recently evacuated b the Boche. I drove old #11 up into Norroy 24 hours after Fritz had pulled out and got many interesting souvenirs e.g. Boche helmets (one of which I sent you through the Red Cross but have long since given up as lost), Boche gas-masks, officers maps (which we turned in), Boche lace (a sample of which I sent to Dot but have also given up as lost), pictures, etc. We too a Boche goat for a mascot but it was soon stolen from us.

Then I went to the hospital with jaundice and didn’t rejoin the section until Oct. 9. I found them at Varennes in the Argonne Woods, still with the 82nd in the midst of that great and glorious drive which forced Fritz out his strongly fortified positions in the woods, out upon the prairie beyond where he was pursued by American tanks and cavalry. We moved our base several times during our stay in the Argonne as our boys advanced.  

One doesn’t see mention in the papers of the work of the 82nd. Why? Well, perhaps it’s because they’re not marines.  Perhaps it’s because they don’t happen to come from New York or Boston. Divisions on either side of the 82nd were mentioned and there is positive proof of the fact that it was the 82nd which saved these two entire divisions from very serious trouble – but, then, we musn’t discuss that here. At any rate, when I get back to the States and meet an 82nd infantry man my hat’s coming off to him. My one and only hope is that those boys get some kind of special recognition for the work they did in the Argonne. While up there we did work for the 77th, 42nd, 1st and 78th Divisions in addition to our own so we were in pretty good position to compare notes. Not one of them underwent any greater hardships than did the 82nd.

Country outside Amanty

On Nov. 3rd we left the Argonne going to a place called Amanty near Amanty near Gondricourt where we spent a pleasant few days of rest in some aviation barracks.  On the 11th we went way south to Clefmont, midway between Neufchâteau and Langres. Beautiful country but pretty cold just now. 

At Clefmont we traveled back to the old Park at Nancy where we are resting easily at the present writing. Our time is pretty much our own here, most of it being spent in predicting the future. The 10th [French] Army has already gone north into Germany but left us behind. I don’t see why they need us at all.  Still we are expecting to leave most any day for Metz or that district. What we will be doing in a week from today is a mystery. Our old 82nd has gone back the States but here we are.  We have no idea how long we will be kept over here but I don’t believe it will be long. Col. Jones of our service would like to send all the S.S.U. men home together with special accommodations in transit. If he is able to go through with it it may be a period of 6 months before things are ready. If not it may be accomplished in 2 months. However, this is purely guess work on my part. Those of us who enlisted over here may be mustered out over here as our papers call for in which case I’ll be on my way home just as soon as I can get my passport and enough money after being mustered out. But as long as we do have to remain on this side for awhile I wish we could get up into Germany. I think we will have the chance.

Willard House in Mankato

Our Thanksgiving dinner, I expect, will be the best we have had on this side. We are furnishing the food and a lady in town is preparing it and will serve it in her café. I shall think of you next Thursday as enjoying a ripping meal with Carolyn and Alice and on Xmas day as chewing the rag and turkey at our house. Wow, how I wish I could be with you.

I was mightily relieved to know that mother and John are well again. That influenza scare petrified me and I heard you were down with it. The death rate from the disease was terribly high in the larger cities, wasn’t it? Dot reported a terrific death rate in Philadelphia. It must be under control now with all the precautions which are in practice.

So, now then, I wish you all the merriest of merry Xmas’s and may the New Year be made the happiest of all years by a grand family reunion, with peace – the joys of peace – felt and appreciated as never before in every home.

God bless you all---
Grant.

P.S.:- I guess I’ve neglected to tell you that I am now a sergeant – a hated sergeant (every sergeant is hated – it’s part of his job) – of 647. I’m not drawing sergeant’s pay, however, for reasons which I shall have to leave for another letter. I was given the job for nothing. Wasn’t that splendid!!!!!!!?????
GRW.