Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-11-20
AMERICANS TELL
VERDUN HORRORS
College Students Who Drove Am.
balances Won Honors Before
Enlisted Men Came.
BATTERED VETERANS RETURN
One Volunteer Describes havoc
Wrought by Shell Dropped Among
Stretcher Besrers.-Two Hit
While Helping Wounded.

New York-Some Of the American
college BOYS who went over 10 rrhhce
last Nav as ambulance drivers TOT the
excitement of the work behind the III
ing lines are returning oIn because
Tho ambulance work has been taken
over hv the United States army n
will be done by regular enlisted men.
The following n an extract from u lei-
fer written hy II Williams hoy wv"
weeks ago. who went over with ms cot
lece unit Ia drive an ambulance nj Inc
front:
The last six weeks we have been
serving in the Ncrdun sector with cur
base mt Rlercourt. which i eight miles
from the town of Nerdun. There are
Two front posts for the ainhulanco>-
Mort Homme hill and Hill 3oi. which
have figured IN The news Of the new
battle of Verdun. Fer two weeks IN"
French were preparing FOR the attack,
and the .paIs were only pa>Sahlc ~
night. The communication trenches
were avfu Ia get through. and wrr"
made worse 10y the heavy rains. pHc
night last week two IF the boys cot
lost in the darkness and could not ma
their way With their ambulance 20 ne
post. Finally they sighted two dark
oniecis. which re>cmhl.d French sol
diers walking along with their hlT
overcnatS on. After lahherinE their
peculiar brand 81 French fer II min
utes without receiving any reply the
-w. .-ar ltGan.~.E.E FEnF
the dark moving objects were ~"
American army mules. unable -
sneak or understand u word If French.
Hit While Helping Wounded.
1.-Two Of our chaps were badly
wounded nj one Of the trst-aid stations
while helping In load men
into the ambulance. One was blown
right through the door Of the shelter
hut and was discovered lying uncon-
scious beside three dead French sol
,iierS. The boys who got them Out hal
10 70 through "A gas attack and a par
rage fire. Two 81 ihem-each aiubu-
lance has two drivers-had no Il ne 10
get masks and were very sick after
IL was over. but they were going 80
fast that there were no fatal results
from the gas.
Mac one of our fraternity. has
been wounded in eight places. lie
lost his right leg and two fingers, while
his companion, Vet Will have a stir
leg all his life from the effects Of his
wounds. They have both got the War
Cross and military medals.
The worst experience Of all hap
pened To two Of our college boys-Jim
Alexander and Taffy Young. While
they were driving along a road lined
with batteries. which the Germans
We're trying to locate. with a wounded
man lying in the ambulance. a shell
burst right beside them.
"Just before that the wounded man
sat up and asked for a cigarette. AMI
the shrapnel passed through the car
where his head had been resting "A few
seconds before and struck the stretch
or bearer, who was looking out to see
where we were. He died that after
noon. Had Jim not ducked he would
nave lost a leg. and If Tafy had
ducked he would have hecn badly
wounded. The ambulance was hot -
pieces by the shell. and they had 10
hold up the dying man for three hour
until assistance came. During he mt
tack We had about twcnty-four hours
sleep out of 1871 hours. which was "A
fair average for I'll the ambulance
drivers in our sector. During the Ger
man air raids one shell hurS within
twenty-five feet of nur camp az Bier
court AT midnight. The roads are near
v impossible now for automobiles. We
nave been treated very nicely Is the
French colonel in command Of the
branch depot. who Toasted our unit
with champagne. cakes and cigars. ana
has given ms seats for I'll the show,
gotten TIT hy the French soldiers.
Volunteer Spirit Gone.
several colonies and majors If the
American Red Cross have visited ~ Ia
see what We arc going - do now
They AN admitted That AZ could DO
more FOR our country by cnli~iing in,
he regular army in Paris. This Is,
'or an the a~hlp-bodicd mon in the am
bulance service. We were asked tol
enlist, If We preferred. in the amlIu-
!ance service for the duration of the
war, but IL would not he the same.
Most Of the boys declined. and we are
going to Paris 10 Join up. including my
self. The old volunteer spirit in the
ambulance corps has zone ~forever-soI
aow for the United States artillery or
air service in search of adventure"