Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-09-24
YANKSEACER
FOR A CLASH
With ENEMY
Vanguard Of TT. S. Forces in
France Anxious to En-
gage Germans:

Somewhere Along the British Front
IN France. Sunday Sept % (By The
Associated Pressl ON a historic bat
0edeld which merges into the fighting
lines are encamped many American
troops. far removed from the rest OF
their c0mpagriots. who form the van
guard Of Uncle Sans expediuonary
force in France.
For military reasons ii is impossible
TO tell the world just where these men
are who they are or what they are
doing to further the interests of the
entente allied cause. but iJ may be
said on authority 10 friends at home
that they are credit TO the stars and
stripes which for the first time in his
tory fly over camp of American sol
diers in this part of the war wrecked
world
TIVE Airead- Wounded.
Some of them have been working
continually IN q zone covered by Ger
man guns and already TWO of their
number have been wounded. q fact
whereof they are exceedingly proud.
The Associated Press heard these
men were here and sought them out
The visit involved a long motor trip
but the sight of their bronzed faces
and the sound of their cheerful de-
termined voices, more than repaid for
the long Journey They are q hne
healthy looking lot and nearly two
months of hard work in the open under
real campaigning conditions has put
them IN shape and they are ready for
anything
Anxious for Clash.
Especially are they prepared ana
anxious to try houors with the Ger
mans, In fact their only grievance
is that for the present they are not
permitted. except where necessity de-
mands. TO expose themselves TO the
enemy's big guns. They want TO feet
the thrill that one experiences Bhen
explosives are going uP ali about and
when shells herald their approach
across No Mans land with a wicked
whine which gives notice that in "A
fraction of minute deadly bits of
ragged steel VIII be flying in all direc-
tons In fact until stringent order
was issued recently the American Of
dcers had hard time keeping their
men out of the British front Tine
trenches IT is said that more than
one American soldier has Crept away
when off duty and after making
friends with the 'Toumies' has taken
his place beside them for a few glor-
ious minutes while q minor battle was
progressing
Some sBecn over The Tops-'
1t would have been unwise. perhaps.
for the correspondent 70 inquire toe
closely whether any of the American
officers had done their bit" in this
manner Nevertheless the corrcsp pond
ent had grave suspicious that some OF
them had been "over the top" with
their allies IN early days before orders
forbade it. However. they are good
disciplinarians and nobody SIS disre-
garding the edicts which have been Is
sued by the higher command, although
the sound of the artillery brings d
wistfuI look into their eyes
The correspondent visited two differ
ent camps and IN each there were the
same scenes of methodieaI activity
characteristic of American methods.
Things were moving smoothly. E1ic-
iency was the watChw0rd everywhere
il was noon when the second camp
was reached and the officers ami men
We're preparing for mess Several
clean cut young officers same out to
greet the correspondent and it was a
(Cont:nu~ / on Page Ten.)