The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1916-08-18
HOW AMERICAN
YOUTH GOT the
French MEDAL
Wounded Driving Ambulance He
Is Given Highest Military
Honor.
ARE DONG A GREAT WORK
American Ambulance Drivers Remark
able Experiences Shown in Extracts
From Letters to Friends and
Relatives in This Country.

New York.-About go young Amer
leans are engaged In driving in the
different services of the American Am
bulance hospital in Paris. Some idea
of the great work they are performing
Is contained In extracts from letters
sent to relatives and friends In this
country. The latest OF these commu-
twentyone-year-old son Of j. A. Bar
Der, lawyer Of Toledo. and one-tinLe
judge in the Ohio courts.
Young Barber is now recovering
from Il serious wound received In the
performance OF his duty at Nerdun,
where he displayed such exceptional
bravery that he was decorated by the
French authorities with the Medaille
Aiilitaire, the highest medal for mill
tary ,alor in France.
Young Barber started from this port
on May 9 and was wounded on June
&c. His captain. Lowering Hill. in re-
porting his case to the Ambulance hos
pital, said the boy was driving his am
bulance with three wounded soldiers
ut midnight along one of the most
dangerous roads at Ferdun. lie was
forced to stop by shells bursting
ahead Of him. During q lull In the
firing he started again, when n shell
burst Al few yards away. Many small
fragments struck him. u penetrating
u lung and another his side. Not
w~ithstundihg his wounds he went ON
until he fell showing, as his captain
snid. the most splendid pluck, doing
dangerous work with enthusiasm and
GOODNESS. Recovering from the ef-
fects OF his wounds, Mr.. Barber wrote
from his cot in the American Ambu-
lance hospital the following letter Oh
June 80 to his parents:
Tore Side and Legs.
Dear Folks at Home, Abroad and
Grandma:
"Four nights ago | had = pretty mar
row escape. / can mention no nalles
here, but this is the sist OF the story !:
81 was driving my car, with three
wounded soldiers in it. along a road
that was being shelled. Well, l got in
the midst Of a pretty hot shower, $ |
stopped my car and got under It. A
few minutes later I supposed 1T was
blowing over, SO | got out. l had no
sooner got out when | heard n Of
those big obtlses coming, the lo,Alest |
had ever heard. l ran TO the front Of
my ear, crouGhing down In front OF
the radiator. When it burst 1t struck
my car.
Il was only hurt n littk. l WAS not
dlsfigured In any way. It tore my side
and legs a little.
.The French treated me wonder
fully. / succeeded in getting The next
American ambulance driven by Wheel
er (a great boy, who took me to the
city of $50, where our post Is. Here
/ was given first aid, and the medical
chief personally conducted me In an
American ambulance, In the middle OF
the night, to a very good Hospital. They
SOW I have the best doctor in France
in Paris.
swell, l woke up the next day in a
bed, and have been recuperatins even
since. Everyone is wonderful to me-.
General Petain, second to Joffre.
has stopped in to shake hands
with me, and many are my con-
xratulations, too, for. above my
bed hangs the Medaille Militaire, the
greatest honor the French can give
anyone. Really. l am proud, although
/ don't deserve It any more than the
rest. Please excuse my egOtlSn-
Just as Good n New.
"In three or four days ! 60 to the