Camp Mills, Hempstead L.I. N.Y. June 1919 9:00 PM

My Dear Mother:- I Hoped you received my telegram and cards? We landed at South Ferry on the Brooklyn side at 1:30PM Saturday. It was a beautiful day and it was a great trip up Long Island Sound(?), We arrived off of Fire Island at 9AM and saw land all the way in. The Erie and P and R railroad sent a harbor tug all decorated up with the R. R. officials on board, relatives of the soldiers and a band it was great, it said in big letters on the side of the tug "Welcome 414 Ael Bn", the tug met us off Rockaway Beach. All the transports and liners saluted us as they passed. We had a very stormy crossing and I never seen such big seas our transport certainly could shake the water off we ran into five storms and the worst was off the Azores near the coast of Portugal. We received fine treatment by the Navy and got good food I had chicken five times on the way across... When we landed at South Ferry the Red Cross gave us ice cream, pie, buns, candy and cigarettes. The Salvation Army sent my telegram for me, the K of C and Y also treated us fine. We then went aboard a ferry up the East River to Long Island City, we had a fine view of New York, passed under three big bridges. Went from Long Island City to Camp Mills. We wait for a train to Camp Sherman, tomorrow our Battalion will be broken up, and I will go with the bunch to Camp Sherman for discharge. We will probably leave here in two days for Camp Sherman and I will probably be home by next Tuesday or Wednesday... Last nite we had a bath and received new clothes. We all have to go thru a physical exam at Camp Sherman prior to discharge.Another friend and I went over to visit Garden City and Mineola tonite, the towns on Long Island are beautiful, some of our boys are in New York today on pass... It was great to get back to the states again and eat ice cream and see real people and cities... We were 11 days coming over, had good spring bunks to sleep on the transport... Your loving son, Jerry1. 1) letter dated June 30th, 1919, from my collection. Written on YMCA letter head stationery, no envelope, no street address and no last name. An interesting letter with identification lost to time.

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