Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-09-27
VANGUARD OF j. S.
TROOPS At FRONT
Two Men Have Been Wounded
All Impatient to Get at
Germans.

Somewhere Along the British Front In
France. Sept. 2i.-(By the Associated
Press)-On a historic battlefield which
mergcs into the fighting lines are en-
camped many American troops far re-
moved from the rest of their compatriots
who form the vanguard Of Uncle SAINT
expeditionary force in France.
For military reasons it is impossible
to say just where these men are, who
they are or what they are doing. but II
may be said on authority to friends az
home, that they are a credit to the stars
and Stripes which for the first time in his
tory fly over a camp of American soldiers
In this part of the war wrecked world.
Some of them have been working con.
tinually in a zone covered by German guns
and already two of their number have
been wounded, a 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, determined voices, more
than repaid for the long journey. They
are a fine, healthy looking lot and nearly
two months of hard work in the open
under real campaigning conditions put
them in shape and they are ready for
anything.
Especially are they prepared and
anxious to try honors with the Germans.
, In fact their only grievance is that for
the present they are not permitted, ex-
cept where necessity demands, to expose
themselves to the enemy's big guns.
[ They want to feel the thrill that one ex-
periences when explosives are going up
, all about and when shells herald their
I approach across No Mans Land with a
wicked whine which gives notice that in
/. a fraction of a minute deadly bits of
, ragged steel will be flying in all direc-
= tons.
In fact until a stringent order was
: issued recently the American officers had
: a hard time keeping their men out Of the
British front line trenches. 1t is said that
q more than one American soldier has crept
e away when off duty and after making
friends with the has taken his
place beside them for a few glorious
minutes while a minor battle was
progressing.
f 1t would have been unwise, perhaps.
s for the correspondent to inquire too closely
q whether any of the American officers
q had done their bit" in this manner.
Nevertheless, the correspondent had
grave suspicious that some of them had
been lover the top with their allies
in early days before orders forbade it.
However, they are good disciplinarians
- diiu uOOouy 10 III thO VuiSto
which have been issued by the higher
command. although the sound of the
artillery brings a wistful look into their
eyes.
IS The correspondent visited two different
camps. In each there were the same
scenes of methodical activity characteris-
Is tic Of American ways. Things were NOV
l. ing smoothly and efficiency was the by.
IS word everywhere.
le 1t was noon when the second camp
ID was reached and the officers and men
1t were preparing for mess. Several clean
d; cut young officers came out to greet the
3, correspondent and 1t was a CHEEKY well
at come with a warm hand grip and a hearty
at I'm mighty glad to see you." One
at would have known he was in an Ameri-
can camp had he been blindfolded. I
ty invitation was extended to mess and !
was accepted.
I'm afraid we can't offer you yer!
/ much to eat said one officer. "Yo'
> see our cook is i'll and just at this momen
n we are getting along as best we can
But we can give you plenty of beam
We and-well, plenty more BEANS he endet
in with an apologize laugh.
n So Boston baked beans were served. tn
h first the correspondent had seen In tw'
I'd years in knocking about which had takel
A. him from revolution-torn Dublin to tn
ge Mohmand revolt on the northwest frontie
NV or india. Ana tney were II DSol OSahA
even canned or that ever will be canned.
During the meal the correspondent
talked with a young officer who Gomez
from one of the famous and wealthy tam
VI lilies of the United States.
no How do you like it out here?" aske'
" the correspondent.
The officer gazed reflectively out acros
" the open and beyond the camp. AS far a
the eye could reach there was a seen
Of devastation and desolation. Here an
there shattered walls of a building marke
the spot where a farmhouse, or pernap
a village, had stood.
III For miles could be seen shattered trunk
of trees that had been smashed by grea
shells as though rended by lightning. Oc
casionally the eye met a little graveyar
with its wooden crosses-some Tor Gel
man soldiers and some for British VIII
~ had died in the sanguinary fighting whic
~ had taken place over this ground. !
10 places there still were remains of Germa
dugouts for the enemy had held this terri
iva tory at one time.
Grass was growing over all this vast
but the green carpet could not conceal III
..n myriad Of mounds that marked the liz
Of great shell craters which pitted TT
,mn entire zone. The officer returned from h
aar contemplative gaze to the conversatio
Me and answered.:
Ina "Well. it isn't exactly the same 8
Forty-second street and Broadway her
~ but we didn't come looking for the 'gre'
II. white way We are for business and Y
~. like it-partly for itself and partly b
cause we ought to like it. We want to {
our bit and we are more anxious to do
than ever before.
II think that some of our boys wi
Ed have crept up and stolen a look at Il
fighting lines have been a little disa
mes pointed in a way. OF course, they read
what it was like over here, but it d
,urt not seem quite right not to see banne
.pes flying on the battlefield and not to wi
,een ness troops moving out in the open. b
om- they all are tremendously impressed wi
things in general. They now realize VIII
he a vast business this is and are anxious
per- do a bigger part.
con- "The heaith OF the camp IL eAeeipe"' :"
airy. the men are as naru as haiis, we "'e
ready for the call to real action"
will The American quarters are simple. y
,on- officer proudly displayed quarters that
God. had built out of airplane wings which h
this been discarded by the British and h
I'd. been presented to him by a colonel.
rom was an ingeniously constructed lit
low house.
of The reported high reward offered by
Of German officer for the first American S
a. --..- .sN tho HA~,,n ItnAS 1A