May 10, 1917 Manning Monitor
HERBERT BLAIR WRITES
El Paso, Texas, April 30, 1917.
Dear Mr. Mantz:
I am located at El Paso, Texas, just six miles from the Mexican border and we are receiving very good drill.
The five of us boys that left were certainly scattered out right. Don Branson had to stay at Ft. Logan in the hospital corps. Arnold Foster and Ed Gronert were shipped to California and Roy Lawbaugh and myself are in Texas.
I am glad that the boys of Manning turned out so well. It ranks first at Ft. Logan, for the number of recruits from a town of its size.
My main reason for writing was to get you to send me the Monitor here. To have that would almost bring the town of Manning here into Texas.
We are now drilling too much to allow anyone to become lonesome, yet the paper would help out on some of these quiet evenings.
If anyone should ask you tell them that I am very glad I joined the army and that I have a very good chance for promotion.
Respectfully yours,
Herbert Blair, Fourth Field Artillery, El Paso, Texas.