Scratch A Line Home

In February 1918, Valdon Armstrong boarded a train that took him from the quiet farm life he loved in north central Iowa, to begin his service in the U. S. Army. Every mile over the following months brought him ever-closer to the reality of World War I--from Camp Dodge in Des Moines, Iowa, to Camp Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan, to an under-construction supply depot in central France. Each step was a culture shock, as it was for most doughboys leaving home. Letters from home were cherished, and he wrote home regularly, as well. Scratch A Line Home records his letters, lovingly saved by his mother, wife, daughter, and granddaughter. They record his anxiety, disappointments, friendships, joys, and longing for home across a year and a half. In between the letters, postcards, family photos, and local history help fill out his story. It's one of a man who preferred the simple life. While he served in a support role far from the front lines, it was still too far from home for his taste. Scratch A Line Home is an introduction to an American everyman trying to make the best of a frightening time in history.