If you've ever been an American abroad on Thanksgiving Day you know it can be an a lonely time. In most places, it's just an ordinary Thursday in late November. But in communities around the world, Americans gather on that day to savor the tastes of home with each other, and, if the others are lucky, with local friends.
And one hundred years ago, Grant and his comrades did just that in St. Avold, France--a town that had been German since 1870.
A few days previously, President Woodrow Wilson issued a Thanksgiving declaration. Here's an excerpt:
"This year we have special and moving cause to be grateful
and to rejoice. God has in his good pleasure given us peace. It has not come as
a mere cessation of arms, a relief from the strain and tragedy of war. It has
come as a great triumph of Right. Complete victory has brought us, not peace alone,
but the confident promise of a new day as well, in which justice shall replace
force and jealous intrigue among the nations. Our gallant armies have
participated in a triumph which is not marred or stained by any purpose of selfish
aggression. In a righteous cause they have won immortal glory and have nobly
served their Nation in serving Mankind. A new day shines about us, in which our hearts take new
courage and look forward with new hope to new and greater duties."
Thursday,
November 28, 1918:
One of the biggest days I ever put
in. We spent the night in barracks on edge of town -- perhaps the dirtiest
barracks I have ever seen and I have seen some dirty ones. We are told that
nearby coal miners had struck a short while ago, taking the barracks, which the
Germans had left very clean, burned one building and threatened to burn the
whole outfit if peace was not declared, strewn everything all over everywhere
and raised hell in general. We cleaned up enough rooms for ourselves and found
it an excellent place to live. Souvenirs galore (Boche spiked helmets by the
hundreds, bayonets, gas masks, grenades etc., etc., etc.). [SSU] 649 pulled in this a.m. about noon after having gotten
caught in traffic, spending the night in their cars by the road side. We have
arranged for our section Thanksgiving banquet tonight at 8:30 at a cafe downtown. We are furnishing most of the food having purchased it at Nancy
before leaving. Am about all in tonight as is everybody else.
Friday,
November 29:
By getting special permit from the
h.q. we were allowed to extend our banquet until 11 o’clock last night -- a
rare privilege in the army. We ate soup, pork with apple sauce, potatoes and
gravy, salad, bread, champagne, coffee with milk and sugar (much better coffee
than the French make, I think) and cookies -- finishing up with cigars and
cigarettes. Our Lieutenant was there together with Lieutenant Kendrick of 649.
Oh boy! we did have a good time. The evening was made lively with snappy
speeches from the members and music. Not one case of intoxication or rowdism.
Everybody enjoyed themselves to the utmost. Sgt. Snader deserves a great deal
of credit in handling this banquet so well against such odds. We broke up about
11:30.
Spent today in working on cars.
Ahlers, Fraser, Kenderson, McEnnis and Titchner all got here last night in time
for the banquet. At 2:30 p.m. an
order came to move to Saarbrücken tomorrow reaching there by 11 a.m. This takes us up into Germany
proper. Great excitement, but more work. This sergeant’s job is a thankless
affair. 649 stays here. We go on alone. The order says we are to begin work on
Dec. 1st. What kind of work?
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