Why can’t they listen to people who have had experience and know?

Save for a letter that Grant Willard wrote home on October 13, there is a two-week gap in his diary. He resumed writing on October 20 while on a further leave.
Just a few quick explanations: while in Paris Grant stopped by the offices of a firm called Fenwick Frères & Co. (Fenwick Brothers), importers of American machine tools. Grant may have had a connection with them through his job at the Wells-Dickey Trust Co. before the war, or through his father at the Mankato's First National Bank. In any event, Fenwick trusted Grant enough to lend him money.

The other explanation has to do with Grant's occasional references to "Allentown" in his diary and letters. Shortly after the United States entered World War I in April 1917, the War Department created the U.S. Army Ambulance Service (USAAS) to allay French fears of a serious disruption in the vital ambulance service on which they had come to depend, and to provide the same service to American troops in the field. New recruits to the USAAS got their military training at a camp outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, and was the source for Grant's sometimes disparaging remarks about men from "Allentown." Some of the AFS and Norton-Harjes drivers shared a sentiment that they were superior to the Allentown drivers because they had volunteered before (sometimes years before) war was declared by the Americans. But as you'll see, Grant misjudged these men.
Saturday, October 20, 1917:

This is the first opportunity I have had to catch up on this record. Many things have happened during the last two weeks and, writing at this time, many interesting details will be omitted, but I shall try to assimilate those most clear to me.

On Friday, October 5, I called on Agnes [Nicholson] at her pension and took dinner with her there. We had an interesting talk and I’m sure she will help me out when she gets back to America. She said she would do her darnedest to get Dot over here and would explain my enlisting in a way which would make Dot proud of me. God bless her if she does! She left for Bordeaux on the next day so I didn’t have the opportunity of sending anything, but messages back by her. All souvenirs from the front are too bulky and I had no time to purchase some little remembrance. I’m sorry for it and tried to get down to Bordeaux before she sailed, but couldn’t get my "ordre de mouvement" soon enough. I sincerely hope the Rochambeau had an easy journey.

Got a room at the [Hotel] Silvia with Hap Ahlers and we were having much fun together when our money ran out. We formed a corporation and pooled our capital. I called on Mr. Fenwick and was advanced 250 francs. This carried Happie and I through.

Took Miss Mullen to dinner once and once to hear Mignon at the Opéra Comique and she took me to dinner twice and had us up for two teas, at one of which she served coffee. Took lunch one afternoon with M. André Gotie of Fenwick Frères and toured the city with him. He is a fine Frenchman having spent several months in America.
The blow came when Mr. Havemeyer told us our section was being relieved in two days by an Allentown section. This all happened on Friday, October 12. We had a hurried meeting and concluded that as long as all of the five who had signed on with the new work were then on permissions that it was up to some of us to return and look after our belongings. So Hap Ahlers, Johnny and myself asked Mr. Havemeyer for an ordre de mouvement so that we could catch the 12 o’clock train for Toul. He told us to go to rue Pinel -- it was then 10:45. We were told there that we couldn’t get an ordre without papers from 7, rue François. After we had argued and argued and accomplished nothing, Mr. Kemp appeared. We told him our story and got our ordre almost immediately -- 11:15. Could we make the 12 o’clock? Yes, we picked Johnnie up at the Silvia and pushed a taxi to the depot at top speed leaving our rooms still engaged and everything we owned strewn all around. We thought we would return on the following day with the section. We reached Toul at 7 that evening, managed to run on to a man who could speak English who called up our headquarters at Trondes and I talked with the Chief on the phone. He sent a car right in for us so that by 10 P.M. we were in camp. It surely seemed good to see all the boys again.
On Saturday, October 13, the Allentown boys came and our section with the exception of Zac Jordan, Bill Sloan, Rappley, Bartlett, Clark, Johnny, Hap, Chief and myself took the morning train into Paris. It was hard to see them go and the Chief almost broke down. Embusqué [company pet] was never the same dog again, he missed the boys so. We nine stayed until Tuesday A.M., October 16, with the new crowd helping them get started in their new work and instructing them on the Fiat car.

They are fine fellows, all college men and all from the southern States. They have at their head a doctor of the boys own choice which was exceedingly fortunate. They were long on discipline which is to their advantage. It was our weak spot. We acted out of respect to our Chief. They act because it has been ordered to do so. Our kitchen was remodeled and much improved. Our attic was swept and shined like a parlor. Everything was systematic and performed to the command of the bugle. How different! They needed help from us, however. They were ignorant about the cars and the work at the front, of course. Their equipment was far too light. And right here I would like to launch a severe criticism of the U.S. War Department. It is ridiculous that these boys should be sent out for winter work at the front with one blanket, one pair of shoes, two pair of heavy underwear, no gloves, regulation winter army coat with no lining and no fur collar, no cots and no helmets. It’s absurd and criminal. There is absolutely no excuse for it. They have had ample opportunity to find out what this work really means at the front and there are many of us who could tell them if they didn’t have opportunity of experiencing it themselves. It’s exasperating to say the least. We left them our helmets, gas masks, fur coats and as many warm clothes as we could spare in the way of underwear, sweaters and shirts and gloves. They weren’t even allowed to carry sweaters in their equipment. They most all had them due to the kindness of their Lieutenant. But all of this extra clothing is so important in this work and yet it is all prohibited by the American Army. Why can’t they listen to people who have had experience and know?

Well, on October 16 we left the boys in much better spirits and with a little better knowledge of their requirements and came to Paris. Hap and I again roomed together at the Mont Thabor as the Silvia was full. Our time was spent in getting our discharge from the American Red Cross and reporting to American headquarters for our new work. Everything is in a mess. No one seems to know what is to be expected of him. Our Chief was refused a commission which is a rotten shame and a disgrace to the U.S. management. They couldn’t find a better man in the world for this work. He is a natural leader of boys such as we are. On Friday when we called we were asked if we would like a permission before we went into the new work. Of course we did so we were given 9 days in which to do as we liked. After a short consultation we (Eric, Hap and myself) decided to go to Nice. Johnny was all for getting a job and Fraze was already in Nice. We got our ordre de mouvement at the American headquarters, rushed over to rue Pinel and got them activated. By 5:30 P.M. we had all arrangements made for going on the 8:05 express - 2nd class.