During the World War I years of 1917 and 1918, the Tribune published many letters from members of the nation’s armed forces. These letters had been sent to relatives in the area, then given to the Tribune for publication.

One of these letters was from Carl C. Knudsen of Albert Lea who went into the U.S. Navy on May 14, 1917. After basic at the Great Lakes Naval Station and schooling at Harvard University, he became a radio operator on the U.S.S. Overbrook. Carl made at least three trips across the Atlantic during the war.

The clipping featuring Carl’s letter was furnished by his nephew, Buzz Knudsen of Albert Lea.

What makes this particular letter rather unusual is the fact that it was censored. Carl wrote the letter on June 7, 1918. It was then read by some officer who blacked out certain words which allegedly might provide information for the enemy. This same questionable system of censorship was also used during World War II.

Now here’s a portion of Carl’s (censored) letter:

&uot;…1000 miles off the coast of Africa homeward bound. … We saw no submarines until we were off the Azores Islands. Look on the map and you will find them all right. They lie almost directly west of Spain. We saw a sub early one morning … Fortunately we had passed the “tin fish” and she was just coming on top of the water. But the minute they saw us, down they went in a hurry. We put on all the power we had and kept zig zagging our course so that they could not get our range and direction of course. They fired no torpedoes. I expect they were afraid of our six-inch gun we have on the stern. That gun sure is a dandy and will blow any sub to Halifax. …

&uot;Well, the next scare we had was a floating mine. If we had hit that it would have been good-night nurse. We followed the coast of Africa for a good piece along the coast of Morocco, until we came to Gibraltar. Gibraltar is ‘some rock,’ take it from me! We stayed there overnight and left the next day in a convoy. Down through the Mediterranean Sea we followed the coast of Africa until we came directly across from the (censored). We then shot straight across to (censored) and thence to (censored). …

&uot;Well we were there nine days and sure had a dandy time. (Censored) is a town of about (censored) population on the southern coast of France facing the Gulf of (censored). …

&uot;(Censored) is not a clean town by far, morals are very low. … (Censored) is largely a wine town, that being about all that’s handled at the wharfs. The women here work like slaves. I saw a bunch unloading coal. They carry a whole bucket on their head at a time and are dirty just as black as the coal they handle.

&uot;I forgot to tell you when I was in Gibraltar that I talked with an American(radio) operator at a naval base there. He said they sometimes put on civilian clothes and go to Spain to see the bull fights.

The Rock of Gibraltar is held by the English at present. They claim there are one thousand nine hundred and eighteen guns on that rock but I saw only a few. We feel the war spirit more when we are so near scenes of the war.

&uot;We in America do not realize it half enough but the sooner we land a winning army in France the quicker will France be relieved of this heavy burden which has been on their shoulders for the last three years or more. For France, next to Belgium, has suffered most. The French have done their share and are still doing it, but 1 don’t believe this war would have been won by the allies if the good old U. S. hadn’t entered.

&uot;The French sure are good fighters and are as good a bunch of soldiers as there are on the front today.

&uot;I wouldn’t live in (censored) for anything. Give me Albert Lea every time.&uot;

Tribune feature writer Ed Shannon’s column appears Fridays in the Tribune.