Infected Poppy Fields

by Alathia Paris Morgan

  With a huge sigh, I let her pull me along to wherever she wished. I knew better to argue because she would just do what she wanted anyway. I could always return anything that wasn’t going to work for me and stock up on extra stockings, brassieres, and undergarments instead.

  We had one small suitcase and a duffle bag that we were allowed to bring with us. Our poor doughboys didn’t even have the luxury of being able to take civilian clothes with them at all.

  I was just thankful that we could have our own extras instead of the scratchy undergarments that were army issue.

  After a whirlwind shopping trip, our driver was having a time of trying to find a place for all of our purchases in the small vehicle while we walked toward one of the popular restaurants in downtown San Francisco.

  “That was fun, wasn’t it?” Mother beamed at me pleased with herself.

  “Yes, it was. It’s been a while since I’ve been shopping for things that weren’t absolutely necessities.” I placed my hand on hers giving it a squeeze as we took our seats.

  “I’m so glad they gave you a choice to return home before going to training with the Signal Corps. It’s just horrible that you need to sacrifice yourself like this, but I’m glad you’re home for a few days.”

  A smile was the only thing I could give her without causing a fight about the reasons that telegraph operators were needed. It had only been a few years ago that young men were the first operators in the country connecting people across the newly growing phone lines between homes and cities. Now, that they’d allowed women to take over this important job many were simply thrilled to be able to do something more than washing and sewing clothes to help their families out.

  Having decided to let my mother pack one of my bags, I waited until she went to check over the evening meal. Working quickly to take out anything extra that wasn’t on the list Grace Banker had given me, I’d barely finished before the bell rang for dinner.

  Ten of each item went into the case, along with a pair of dancing shoes just in case we were invited to help boost moral for the troops we were stationed with. Nurses or volunteers were occasionally asked to help host dances so that our troops had a piece of home in the midst of war.

  I looked longingly at the five dresses that my mother had insisted I needed to survive a few months in Paris, before deciding that I needed to place them in the back of my closet in their bags so they wouldn’t be discovered before I left to return them tomorrow.

  ------

  The next evening at dinner all of the excitement I’d been feeling all day had to be kept locked inside while my family tried to make things as appear completely normal. Dinner became a somber affair as mother realized I was leaving the next day and father couldn’t find a way to comfort her about my safety.

  Uncertain if I would see my family again for quite a while, I tried my best to joke and find good memories that would last me until I was able to make it home again.

  “Mother, would you please play the piano so that I’ll be able to hear the songs sung by you when I’m over there and longing for home?”

  “Of course,” She wiped a tear away at my words, but hurried to do as I’d asked while we all moved from the dinner table to crowd around the piano.

  My eyes closed as I listened to her play all of my favorites. Storing up the songs that I would cherish as I spent time so far from home. I already knew what it was like to be away from home because I’d been living in New York for the past two years. Yet when I suffered from homesickness, I could always spend a few precious dollars to call home for a few short moments and hear the voice of my family.

  This was going to be such a different set of circumstances than I’d ever encountered before because I wouldn’t be able to come home and most of the people around me would speak French.

  “Thank you, Mother that was lovely. Goodnight.” I kissed her forehead and gave my father a hug before heading up the stairs with my two sisters and younger brother. I’d promised to tuck them in and wanted to savor a few of my last moments with them.

  Humming a lullaby, I hugged each of them and tucked them in with a story. Even my teenage sister, Inez who shared a room with me accepted my hug.

  “Do you really have to go?” She pleaded one last time as she watched me check my suitcase and place it quietly behind the door.

  “Yes, and one day you’ll do something like this yourself.” I shoved her over as I crawled into bed fully dressed. I had to wait long enough to sneak out of the house past my parents once they were in bed.

  “It might be sooner than you think.” She warned, “I’m not going to sit here while you and all the other girls get to go out and help fight against the Germans.”

  “You’ll have to learn French in school otherwise they won’t even consider you.”

  With a humph, she turned on her side so that I was facing her back.

  I sighed knowing it was difficult to explain to a fifteen year old that wanted to get out and see the world.

  “I’ll write. I promise and I’ll send postcards when I’m able to.”

  She sniffled quietly, “It won’t be the same thing.”

  Ignoring her attempt to keep me away, I slung an arm around her and pulled her close for a last hug. “I’ll miss being able to put my cold feet on you in the middle of the night.”

  She giggled, “I’m going to hog all the covers and nobody will tell me to share.”

  “I won’t miss that part, but I know that it isn’t going to be the same without you.” I whispered as her breathing evened out. I lay on my back staring into the darkness waiting for the clock downstairs to strike midnight.

  Creeping down the stairs, taking care to avoid the noisy steps in my stocking feet, I made it to the bottom without detection.

  Quickly putting my shoes on, I stood and took a last look around as I slid the goodbye letter I’d written onto the piano where they would see if first thing in the morning.

  With a last sigh of regret, I turned the knob of the door and slipped out into the night. Nothing would ever be the same again because I was counting on this adventure to change me.

  -------

  I’d purchased a ticket for the night train so that I wouldn’t have to listen to my family’s pleas to stay with them. Even after returning a few of the items that my mother had overbought, I didn’t want to spend the small amount of money I had on a berth, so I bought a ticket for a regular seat.

  I’d slept fitfully in the passenger car and stepped down at the main station looking wrinkled. I needn’t have worried because the other women who were arriving seemed to be in the same shape as I was.

  Grace met those of us who had arrived on the overnight trains and accompanied us to the barracks that had been set aside for our training.

  The army wasn’t happy with the fact that there were women on the grounds of Camp Franklin. We were warned to stay together at all times. Any infractions would be met with serious consequences up to and including court martial according to the army’s regulations.

  “Now, ladies I want to welcome you as the first group of trainees for the new unit of the women’s Signal Corp. The Secret Service has performed checks on you all and deemed that you aren’t spies. Isn’t that a wonderful feeling to know we’re all here to serve our country?”

  A few giggled erupted at her words, she only fixed us with a hard stare before continuing. “I’m sure that many of you had no idea you were under such intense scrutiny, but they are taking no chances that we’ll mess up and send our troops to the wrong place.”

  “Which is why I’m confident that you’ll all use the skills that most of you already know to become the best telephone operators in our unit. Let’s show them that we can handle this job and keep our boys alive.”

  She gave us a tight smile of reassurance, “First thing is for all of you to purchase your uniforms from the quartermaster. He’ll take it out of your first paychecks. If for some reason you don’t make it through the next few weeks of training, the
n you can return it and get a portion of your money back. The second thing is to gather and take our oaths of allegiance to the army and the United States.”

  “From here on out, you’ll receive your non-combat training in the mornings and then we’ll work on switchboards, French and coding in the afternoon. Don’t think they’ll go easy on you in the mornings just because you’re women.”

  “Dismissed.” She saluted us and quickly left.

  “Where do we go to get to the quartermaster’s place?” Holli Brown questioned, looking as bewildered as the rest of us.

  A tall slender woman in uniform poked her head in the room, “Ah, good you’re all here. I’m Dorothy Post. If you’ll just follow me, I’ll take you to the quartermasters. Then you’ll have to hurry and change before the swearing in starts.”

  We fell into line behind her as she moved with great speed toward the opposite side of Camp Franklin.

  “If you all got the prescribed clothing and shoes that were on your list then the only things you’ll need are your uniforms.” She held the door open for the group of twenty-five of us to file past her.

  “He should have your sizes, but if not then let me know immediately. I’ll have to have someone make the adjustments, quickly. We must look our best, ladies. Let’s not give them a reason to send us home before we ever get overseas.”

  It didn’t take the quartermaster and the men helping him, very long to give out the uniforms. We all waited until everyone was done before walking back to our barracks on the other side of camp.

  “Hurry up ladies. We can’t be a distraction for the troops that are training.” Miss Post moved quickly to take the lead and everyone picked up the pace.

  “I had no idea, I was going to have to walk so much when I signed up for this.” Holli remarked from beside me in a quiet voice. “Do you think we’ll have to crawl through the mud like the guys do?” Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought as we passed a group of men doing just that.

  “No, they aren’t going to give us combat training, silly.” The girl on my left snickered at her question. “I’m May Blackberry.”

  “Hi, May. I’m Emma and this is Holli. Where are you from?” I whispered, but made sure to keep up the pace so that we weren’t left behind.

  “Chicago. How about you two?” May glance looked us up and down as if deciding whether she should be speaking to us.

  “I’m from San Francisco, but I was living in New York until Miss Banker asked if I’d join.”

  “Oh, I’m from Idaho.” Holli gushed in excitement.

  May shook her head, “That explains so much.”

  Conversation was cut off as we arrived back at the barracks and all hurried to change into our uniforms.

  Miss Post used a whistle to get us into a straight line and walked up and down the row doing an inspection making sure that every collar was firmly in place.

  “Ladies, are you ready to become part of the greatest army in the world?” She smiled and waved a gloved hand at us to follow her.

  It was quick walk compared to the last two and we arrived at one of the few buildings that housed the offices of Camp Franklin.

  Butterflies moved around in my stomach as the large room that looked almost like an auditorium echoed with our footsteps as we made our way to stand in front of the flag flanked on either side with two tables.

  “Attention!” The officer standing next to Miss Banker barked at us. Unsure of exactly what he wanted from us, we hurried to form a line facing him.

  “Repeat after me.” He held up his right hand and began pausing only long enough for all of us to repeat the oath before he sped through the next line.

  “I, Emma, do solemnly swear or affirm to bear true allegiance to the United States of America, and to serve them honestly and faithfully, against all their enemies or opposers whatsoever, and to observe and obey the orders of the President of the United States of America, and the orders of the officers appointed over me.” I repeated hoping I hadn’t missed anything.

  “Thank you, ladies. You are now part of the United States Army. We’ll need you to sign the letter of oath and put on your armbands signifying your rank as privates in the Signal Corps Women’s unit.”

  We each carefully stepped up to sign a statement of the same words that we’d spoken out loud moments before then returning to our place in line.

  Immediately taken to the telephone switch room, we were given an overview of how everything worked and told to study the operator’s handbook until lunch.

  Each day began and ended with the bugles being sounded early in the morning, but we were part of the army and had to do the same as any of the men would. So we groaned our way out of bed each day and dropped into them exhausted at the last bugle sound.

  Breakfast, a hike with calisthenics to get us in shape. Then practice with putting on a gas mask, how to do basic first aid and many other things that the army considered to be essential to our survival on the battle lines of France were all part of the training course.

  While some of us had basic French, it was used constantly in the afternoons for regular conversation and during our training as operators so that we could switch back and forth effortlessly.

  We were taught how to tell if someone was listening in on the line or if the person speaking might not be one of our own. Spies weren’t plentiful in the States, but that close to the battle line anyone could be working for the other side.

  Dinner was a welcome break, but then it was back at the code books and how to determine what each code meant.

  It was brutal work, but our last test was to be under battle like conditions while the men tried to shoot each other with explosions going off constantly, we had to insure that all the calls went through correctly.

  Finally, after they had deemed us properly equipped the thirty-three of us that had completed the training were put on trains with our fearless leader Grace Banker.

  I was ready to be doing something and not just sitting around practicing with fake bombs falling so I was relieved when we climbed on to the trains that would take us and the troops that were also being sent over at the same time.

  We’d all been warned to be on our best behavior and make sure that we didn’t interact with the soldiers on the ship. Decorum was the word of the day and it was going to be hard on a ship full of seven thousand doughboys. They had a section of cabins for us and other than meals we were going to be spending most of our time in them.

  Living in New York I’d seen the large ships from off in the distance, but standing there looking up at the boat that was supposed to keep us safe from the sea it didn’t make me feel all that hopeful.

  After the U-Boats had declared war on all ships, our ships had started to travel in convoys with battle ships or smaller ships that could maneuver better to give chase and keep us safe.

  The other girls’ enthusiasm was infectious and I found myself looking forward to seeing Paris and other parts of France. Not that we’d actually get to see much of it, but just knowing we were on the soil of a foreign place sounded so exciting.

  -----

  Chapter 6

  Emma

  Our ship, the former Celtic which had been commissioned into the Navy for transporting troops across the ocean. While we’d started at a disadvantage from being across the sea from the battle grounds, now with ships carrying over 7000 men at a time, we had a much better chance of giving the French and British some much needed reinforcements.

  I stood outside with the other women as we enjoyed a few moments of sunshine. The trip hadn’t been kind to us the first few days and we’d all volunteered to help tend those who were too sick to move from their bunks.

  “It’s so good to up here instead of down in the belly of this ship while it tossed around the ocean.” Holli breathed still looking a little green around the gills.

  “Try to relax, we have a few more days and the captain has assured us that it’s smooth sailing from here.” I held back the smile that wanted to es
cape. “It will all be better when we’re on dry land. Just think, you could stay in France when the war ends just so that you don’t have to sail ever again.”

  “Ugh, don’t remind me. I might just take you up on that idea because I’m not sure I can handle this kind of trip again.”

  May squeezed in beside me, “Dry up you’re tears and quit being a cry baby. This is nothing.”

  “Sure and Chicago has many seas around it that you went sailing on as a child so you’re used to it, right?” Holli retorted with a jab at May.

  “Look, if you want all those cute boys to see you not at your best then it’s okay with me.” May shrugged and pointed to all the men lined up on the deck below looking longingly at us.

  “That’s our cue to go back to our quarters. Now that they’re feeling better, they’ll be hard to keep away. Remember this trip isn’t about finding husbands, but keeping them alive long enough so we can choose one on our way home.” I laughed at the looks on their faces.

  “What, a girl can’t have a game plan?”

  It took another two days of being cooped up before we finally sailed past the shores of England and made our way into France.

  I could understand Holli’s feelings about wanting to be on land again, but refrained from kissing the ground as many of the soldiers were doing as we disembarked.

  “Ladies, if you’ll follow me. We have a truck here to take you straight to Paris where everything has been set up for you. It’s a little rough of a ride and we’ll have to on the lookout for planes trying to drop bombs, but other than that you should safely at your destination before evening.”

  The driver helped us into the back with our suitcases and duffle bags before shutting the gate. He left the flaps open so we’d be able to see the countryside.

  He’d appeared nervous about transporting women. I’d bet anything that this was a new experience for him.

  Without a word of warning, he took off and we all clutched at the benches hoping for a good way to hold on. It became painfully obvious as to why he’d left the flaps open, to give us air to breath. Dusty and not the best first impression of our allied country, it was the opposite of the way we’d just spent the past week on the sea.