A page from a personal letter written by Private Willis W. Wagener during World War I. In this excerpt, Wagener explains Army slang for enlisted ranks and reflects on the near-universal habit of cigarette smoking among soldiers, including the Red Cross's distribution of cigarettes to wounded men in hospital. Letters such as this offer intimate, first-hand insight into the daily life, humor, and hardships of an American soldier serving overseas during the Great War. Project: 218252