The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-06-23
AMERICAN SOLDIER
IS GIVEN HONORS
I BY THE FRENCH
Gallant Work of American
lied British Subject
Recognized
.(By Marian Bonsal Davis)

Recognized
(By Marian Bonsall Davis)
& "A French Red Cross nurse, who
has had in her charge French, Rus
sian, German prisoners, Canadians
and Moroccans, English and Cingal-
csc, Americans from the Foreign Lee
gion. and from the Aviation Corps,
was speaking of the differences and.
ikenesses of the French and Ameri-
can type of soldier:
''One of the most remarkable pa
tients ever had" she said seemed
to me to represent in himself all the
best, qualities of both types. As a.
matter of fact he did combine in
himself both nationalities, in this
way: Some years ago, a wild youth,
the son of a. titled family of Brittany,
he ran off to America. He had no
money and helped to. unload bananas
at the docks in New York as his first
job. Later he was a waiter and al
ost everything else. In the course
of twenty years he became very pros
porous III iron and steel completely
When the war broke out he
thought he ought to help, so he came
over and volunteered in the French
army. In the trenches he volunteer
ed for every possible dangerous duty,
carrying off unexploded bombs, and
the like. It was his supreme delight
to- find some specially precarious
thing to do, and for months he SEEM
ed to bear a charmed life. But after
la while in one of his voluntary ser
vices he lost a leg near the thigh. The
surgery at the hospital was done skill
fully, but gangrene had made head
way There was just one thing to
do long, frightful baths of iodine.
Those baths have been my sever
est duty in this war. They were al
most too terrible, and the agony af-
terward! But he never made a sound
of pain, and with his face drawn and
CHASTITY he would make some joke in
american slang. His strength was
ESQ wasted that his surgeon told him
The must conserved, even to the ex-
ttent of not changing his position. But
Ito remain in one position was impos-
iIsibIe, and watching the clock he
would lie on one side for five min
utes-the extreme duration possible,
then on the other for five minutes.
With such a mighty force of will to
live. he performed th- miracle of liv-
ling.
Zone day we brought him word
THAT his mother from Brittany had
fcome. They had not met In twenty
Eyears. He was suffering, weak, fight
ling his fight against death, and the
Eemotion was almost mofe than he
could stand What he said was. Tell
A her she may come in il she comes in
smiling, and smiles all the time she
lis here We took the frail little gem
tlewonlan his message She bowed. L
Twill come smiling, she said. She did.
And in the days that followed,
through the dressings, through the
iodine baths. she sat near him, knit
Eting and smiling.
Then one day we brought him
other news ma king rne two supreme
messages of his life. This French
y American, or this American French
imam, had been cited. The General
iof his division of the army was to
fcome in person to decorate him with
1.-THE Medaille MfHtaire. When we told
him, he, who had never moaned, who
lspoke only in American slang, burst
Into sobs like a little boy. &
II 1T wish you could have seen our
ward. The doctors and nurses decor
4 ated 1t, in orange and green. the col
ors Of the ribbon of the Medialle Min-
ttaire He had but one sorrow-he
could not stand to the General. But
he was allowed to wear his uniform
! and to be propped up a little in his
tbed.
ssAt the appointed time the doctors
and nurses and directors came in. We
Ibid not trust ourselves to speak. Their
the General entered with his staff, to
q which were attached military drum.
mers. The ceremony begins with the
inc o IN, hno ~
or-never used except to announce
! the decoration of the Medai1le Mill.
taire. 80
"The directors of the hospital, doc.
, tors and nurses stood at attention, ths
patients in the ward held themselves
at salute, the General and his stat
! took their places, and the drums roll
7 ed their signal. Often at these cere
monies the generals are SO deeply
. moved that they can scarcely speak
So 1t was with our General His voict
| broke when he read the citation from
+ the military authorities. There were
tears in his eyes as he touched thu
, sword to the shoulder of the trernb
ling man in bed, saluted his cheek
and attached the Medaille Militairt
Ito his breast At that second the
drums rolled out thunderously tina
! the MedAille Militaire7 had been con
: ferred.
''The surgeons couldn't talk for 6
while. They knew. And we nurse.
dropped things and were awkward
, for the rest of that day. And the
!. frail, little mothers kept on smiling
with emphatic mods over her knitting
I've spoken of him. she said, ''be
. cause he was SO American In. SO many
: ways. They are all as brave-ant
: they need SO much oh, they need 81
! much!-more doctors-more doctors
: and millions, millions of money to le
!. each have his chance of life''
!, FLOWER AND VEGEr
!. SEEDS
YnFy% -E.fyK a. CIV