In 1917 we were sent to France. We were camped out in one of Napoleon’s old forts in Redon. It wasn’t so bad, since the climate in France was much better than in Texas. The most excitement I had was on the trip over. When I was on the ship and was first entering the war zone, it got pretty exciting. I used to stand on deck and watch the torpedo boats hunt down submarines, which were new to us. I saw one sub sunk. Our patrol boats were like cowboys, herding up those submarines like cattle. And we just shot them with torpedoes. A lot of us were out there on deck watching them. I was glad to take part in the war. It was part of our duty to protect our nation. And it was quite a trip for a country boy like me.
