Produced by Roger Frank, Katherine Ward, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: I summoned “Local Board 163” in Court Martial proceedings] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONSCRIPT 2989 EXPERIENCES OF A DRAFTED MAN ILLUSTRATED BY H. B. MARTIN NEW YORK DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 1918 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, INC. Service Flag Design on Cover Patented November 6, 1917 Reproduced by Permission of Annin & Co., Flag Makers, New York - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TO MY MOTHER AND FATHER and every other Mother and Father, who spend hours wondering about the welfare of their son, this book is dedicated. And with it comes the assurance that life in the big cantonment contains a full measure of real happiness, and that all hardships are mitigated by a sense of humor which develops even in the worst of pessimists. We are contented, for to compensate for the absence of you and all that you mean, comes the knowledge that we are doing everything that brave men and women, the world over, would have us do at times like these. We are doing a man’s work and by the token of the service flag in your window you should know that the days of patched trousers, darned stocking, of toy fire engines, play soldiers, and noisy drums, were not spent in vain. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONSCRIPT 2989 Thursday: Once when I was an enthusiastic freshman (it seems ages ago) I joined a Latin society that had for its inspiration the phrase, _forsan haec olim meminisse juvabit_. All I can remember about the society is the motto, and there is nothing particularly pleasant about the recollection, either. But somehow to-night that fool phrase comes back to me and makes a pessimist of me right off. I wonder how pleasant these things are going to be and whether I will want to remember them hereafter. Perhaps I won’t have much choice. I’ll probably remember them whether I want to or not. Already my first eight hours of active service as Conscript 2989 have some sharp edges sticking out which I am likely to remember, though many of them are far from pleasant.