Wilmette man lauds work of war chiefs

Sergeant H. J. Burbach, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Burbach, 1020 Linden avenue, who is in France with the Rainbow Division, in a recent letter to a friend in Wilmette, tells of the excellent conditions existing in the army camps and of the wonderful work of the United States military forces. His letter reads as follows:

American Expeditionary Force
December 24th, 1917
Dear_____
I sure was glad to receive your letter today old man, for news from the States is like music to our ears. This is the strangest Christmas Eve I have ever spent, but then, as you know, my life is full of such incidents. You know I have always desired a trip abroad, but, believe me, that desire has been more than fulfilled, and the next time I see a Northern Pacific sign reading "See America First," I sure willl heed their advide. Nevertheless, I am glad I'm over here for you can't imagine what a wonderful game we're playing over here and the gigantic task Uncle Sam has undertaken. When the truth is finally told, the Panama Canal will look like a child's undertaking in comparison. It always seems too bad that all this work of destruction could not be transformed into work of construction. Though United States is using France as a base, yet her work in this struggle is so independent of that of her allies, that, were it not for the distance from the scene of the struggle, she might as well have picked out a point in Africa. Engineers are building railroads to haul supplies, building docks and warehouses to take care of the enormous amount of supplies necessary for her army, roads for the most efficient truck transportation imaginable and contonments to house her troops. These things are not taking place in one point, but France is honeycombed with our achievements. If I were at liberty to tell you how vast the army she has over here and how rapidly she is adding to this vast host you would doubt my word. Perhaps the administration has made a few mistakes, but the net result ought to make any American proud of his country. I cannot help but marvel at the difference between the way we were taught warfare down at the border and the way we have learned it over here. One would swear that the entire method has been revolutionized. Of course we are using French equipment which accounts for most of it, but the scale is so vast, the sectors assigned to each organization os small, and the intricate cooperation between the various branches of service so great, that there is no comparison between the rollicking play warfare that America has been used to and this grim scientific struggle of today.
As you know I am in the telephone and signal work of the artillery and the work has proved exceedingly interesting. You have no diea how important communication is, for without it the artillery is helpless. A vast telephone system rivaling that of the famous Bell System with outposts, centrals, ad hundreds of wires, absolutely controls the movements of artillery. Everytime a battery pulls in for "action" a perfect network of wires must be laid before they fire a shot. If telephone communication fails other systems are improvised, but only until the wires destroyed by shelfire or otherwise, can be repaired. Science is winning this war and the methods in vogue today are obsolete tomorrow. One man's brains invent what appears to be a terrible weapon, yet in a surprisingly short time a man of superior brains on the opposite side has invented not only something to counteract it but a weapon more deadly and so it goes. It's up to Yankee ingenuity and American brains to win this war and we have never fallen down yet. There seems to be little or no hatred between the many German prisoners one sees and their French guards. For the life of me I cannot arouse any hatred for these big husky Boches. It is hard to imagine these men many of whom speak good English and have been in Chicago are capable of crimes so horrible that one shudders to think of them. It is only at such times when I hear of outrages committed by them and unparalled in history that I go at my work with a grim determination to help wipe out the autocracy and "kultur" that makes these outrages possib.e Frnce has borne untold agonies, yet her forbearance and courage is miraculous. The boys are happy over here never doubting the outcome of the struggle, realizing that the folks at home and a wonderful nationare backing them. Yet it pains us to think there are people in the States playing politics during the crisis--men who for political prestige and financial gain are opposing the admiminstration. When we read of such tottering, Mark my word, this game incidents we feel that our bakcing is isn't [sic] over yet but the sooner the people realize that absolute cooperation with the government is essential to a successful termination, the sooner their boys will be sailing past the statue of Liberty.
I am afraid this discourse is developing into a repetition of articles you have often read, but believe me it is brought home mightly clearly when you see it with your own eyes. I have had the pleasure of shaking hands with grim, war-stained French soldier--heroes of Verdun and Ypres, men who fought for days up to their waists in mud, their comrades falling on either side of them. I have often visited with these enlisted men at the numerous little French daves and they have told me in a language peculiarly their own of hardships, privations and sufferings unheard of in former wars, and yet, they are impatient to get back tot he front lines again. To me, human nature is becoming harder to understand every day.
I fear if I write any more the censor will fall asleep reading it, so out of courtesy to him I shall close by wishing you all the Happiest of New Year's.
Sincerely
Sgt. H. J. Burbach
Battery D, 149th, F.A.
A.E.F. France.