Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1914-11-26
BEING WOUNDED
HAS BRIGHT SIDE
Mothers Are Thankful to $50
Manned Sons Alive.
BADLY INJURED BUT HAPPY.

Women Give Up Hope For Boys as
They Go to War, and Their Return,
Although Dsfigured, Is Occasion For
Great Joy-One Said, Pm Not Dis
figured; I'm Decorated"
Calais.-"You cant imagine the JOY
Of mothers and fathers when their
boys come back to them from the war
minus IN arm or leg OF some other
portion OF their bodies Human naturr
is queer thing, and war brings this
quccruesS into strong relief" says one
OF the American correspondents now ut
ihc front
II witnessed the arrival of Red
Cross train here. The cars were loaded
with young men fresh from the Bel
gian border A soldier talked to said
We gave them hell tell you but we
caught a few pellets ourselves
From the looks of them they had
indeed Some hobblcd out of the cars
their arms in sings or their heads tied
UP or foot off the ground: others
came on stretchers to be transferred to
the channel steamers waiting at the
dock One soldier limpcd out on the
platform. His head was bandagcd all
around 50 vOluminOusly that lie couldn't
Wear his cap.
"One arm WAS in a sling; the hand
was handaged in way bctDkcning the
absence of one or more fingers.
Near by stood a woman She was
looking for some one Suddenly the
much banda@ed soldier saw the woman
and started With an inarticuIate
sound, partly smothered by the ban
dagcS, he touched the woman
She uttered Il cry ana seachcd eager
~ the bandagcd face. Apparently her
mother love, rather than her eyes, told
her il was her boy.
My son, my som she exclaimed.
cnraptured A Red Cross surgeon
stepped up.
Madam he said, your son un
doubtcdIy will recover. but | must tell
YOU that most of his jaw is shot away.
"'Oh, I'm so glad, so glad" the
mother cried. tears streaming from her
eyes.
4" 4 see that sort of thing many times
daily the surgeon said, When moth
cr sees her boy march away to wal
she gives him up for dead. she scarce
~ hopes even in her mother heart of
hope ever to see her boy alive again
Always she lives in dread Of the day
when the brief announcement of the
dead will contain the name OF her boy
SO at last. when her boy comes back
to her it doesn't matter how terribly
he is shot up or disligurcd 1t is the
same with mothers everywhere amy
time
"Thcrc is another cause for Il moth
crs joy when her son returns maimcd,
broken physically, but alive She
knows the boy cannot return to the
battle line, Il mark for bullets and
shrapnel that kill
There is another strange thing to be
noted while talking to the wounded
They are quite happy to have bad
wounds about the face and head, much
prcfcrring distiguring face wounds to
lesser wounds in body or legs
"A train of wounded was ON its way
to southern France, When it halted
at Boulognc those of the wounded who
were able got out to walk up and
down the PLATFORM Among these WAS
one whose face could hardly be called
by that name. One eye WIS gone. the
other was badly swollen until he could
hardly see Baudagcs covered nh bat
diScoorcd parts of his face
lyon poor dear, sympathizcd an
EngIishWoman who approached him
timidly You poor, poor boy
Madam, replied the soldier With as
much pride and clearncSs as the band
ages would permit, don't pity me
Pity my friends in the train there who
got it where it won't show
The EugliShwoman couldn't under
stand.
"Why- why-why, she stammered.
I thought You wouldn't like to be dis
figured
"'Dishgured" the soldier replied I'm
not diStigured; I'm decorated"