Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-12-10

A rev days after his visit to the hos
pitsl saw In the Otlicial London Ga
sette that I had been awarded the dis.
tinguished conduct medal. Onlcial let
ters from the Canadian headquarters
amplified this information, and no.
tice from the British war office In
formed me that the medal awaited me
there. l was told the king knew that
the medal had been awarded me when
he spoke to me IN the hospital. De-
spite glowing reports in the Kentucky
press. he didn't pin II on me. Probably
he didn't have II with him, or perhaps
he didn't consider 1t good form to hang
a d. G. NJ. on suit OF striped presen-
taaon pajamas with n prevailing tone
Of baby blue.
While I was in the King George hos
pital witnessed one Of the most Won
derful examples Of courage and pluck
l have ever seen. A young Scot only
nineteen years old, McAuley by name,
had had the greater part of his face
blown away. The surgeons had patch
ed him up in some fashion, but he was
horribly disfgured. He was the bright
est, merriest man In the ward, always
joking and never depressed. His own
terrible misfortune was merely the top
ic for humorous comment with him.
He seemed to get positive amusement
out Of the fact that the surgeons were
always sending for him to do some
thing more with his face. One day he
was going into the operating room and
a fellow patient asked him what the
new operation was to be.
"Oh," he said, I'm going to have a
cabbage put on In place of head.
It'll grow better than the one I have
now"
Once in a fortnight he would man.
age to get leave to absent himself from
the hospital for an hour or two. He
never came back alone. 1t took u
couple of men to bring him in. On the
next morning he would say:
"Well, it was my birthday. A man
must have few drinks on his birth
day."
I was discharged from the hospital
in the middle Of February and sent to
a comfortable place Mt Hastings, Sus-
sex, where lived until my furlough
papers came through. had n fine
time In London at the theaters and
clubs pending my departure for home.
When my furlough had arrived went
% Vr,hn hN
madam discharge depot was located.
and was provided with transportation
to Montreal. came back to America
on the Canadian Pacific Royal Mail
steamer Metagama, and the trip was
without incident Of any sort. We lay
for a time In the Mersey, awaiting
word that our convoy was ready to see
us out of the danger zone, and de-
stroyer escorted US 400 miles on our
way.
Twas informed before my departure
that a commission as lieutenant in the
Canadian forces awaited my return
from furlough, and had every inten-
ton of going back to accept 1t, but
since got to America things have hap
pened. Now it's the army Of Uncle
Sam for mine. I've written these sto-
ries to show what we are up against.
It's going to be tough game and a
bloody one and sorrowful one for
many, but it's mostly right on one
side and all wrong on the other-and
I'm glad we're In 1t. I'm not willing to
quit soldierinesnow. but I will be when
we get through with this. Because
when we finish up with all this there
won't be any necessity for soldering.
The world will be free Of war for a
long, long time, and a Gods mercy
that.
(THD END)