The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-03-27
True American

New York, March 21.-'lSnt that
bully? True American.
This is what one of the Nouns
Mems Christian Association WORKERS
overseas has written back in Jeilins
of the first American soldiers that
came back from the front line tren-
ches.
The incident that he called true
American" is contained in the fCl
lowing extract from one OF his lei
tiers:
These boys turned out to be
among those who went first into the
front line trenches. They said it
was a strange and terrible expert
ence. and that they felt that only
wonderful luck, or the protection OF
God brought them out safe. | sup
pose that is the feeling of all who
are for the first time experiencing
trench life, even in quiet sector.
LAS they went. they passed some
of our officers. and, of course, salut-
ed.
Don't salute US. boys. Shake
hands, the officers said. You're the
first ones up.
wasn't that bully? True Ameri-
can"
This is just one of the incidents
he tells that show the bully" spirit
of our soldiers overseas, their true
American tendency to grin, under
trying circumstances. Even the sol
diers in the French hospital where
he spent some weeks showed these
traits he says, and were known to
doctors and nurses as the smiling
iii
thus:
Il wish l could give you some idea
of the boys who are here.
lone boy is Of German parenlage,
his uncles fight for the Kaiser, but
L belong to Uncle Sam says he. His
Younger brothers were crazy on the
subject of warships, and carved min
iature ones out of blocks of wood fol
toys In the early days Of the Euro
pean war, these little vessels all hao
German names, but as soon as the
United States broke with the Central
Powers, the names were all chang
ed at once, and are now The Yam
kee, Columbia, The Wisconsin, etc
This boy is laid up with rheumatism
like myself, only very much worse
and is being sent back to the States
d
Then there is a Mexican cowboy
who has touch of T. b, and has
been told to go home and get well
whereas he just wants to be well, anC
20 on with his job in the army. He
is an artillery man. He and l have
had some fine old talks especially IL
the evening, when we have quite {
while between dark and sleep time
about cayuses and tepees and round
ups, and camp-fires.
"a large amount of amusement
has come from six-foot kid named
a marine, of Scotch blood
of near Philadelphia. He is the rare
Inbination of an irrepressible who
y. fresh. The nurses, especially
Hht nurses, make lot of him
Il resents it and half likes it
Id have seen the way he shot
lis bed and oyer to mine, when
ne received a copy Of his first letter
home to his mother, printed in full
in the Chronicle.
There is great, husky-looking
fair-haired Northwesterner whom
I've got to know recently, a fellow
who looks to be as strong as an OK
has done hard work all his life as
he says Che is just twenty-two) ano
has stood up with the best of them
in the harvesting in North Dakota
Now he is being sent home with the
T.B. He doesn't know what to make
of it.
Smith is from a Wisconsin re-
gion of rough cumberland. At first
when he got to talking about his
folks, and the life out there, and the
log business, and the little school
house where everything outside OF
home life centers, l couldn't make
out why it all seemed so familiar
Then l remembered the early chap.
tiers of Dr. Anna Howard Shaw's life
Strange to think of almost the same
conditions existing today as before
the Civil War-all but the wolves, OF
which l hear no mention. (Yes
they even have wolves, a few; I've
just asked him.
Il hadn't realized till l came tC
leave how many friends l had made
among the soldiers here in the hos
pital. The half-wel ones in theiI
wrappers (pink, blue, or lavender, g
real Rainbow Division) scramble of
their beds to say goodbye. The rea
ly sick ones sit up in bed, or just
reach a hand from under the bee
clothes drawn up under their chins
The almost cured who are up anC
dressed leave their games of domi
noes and checkers. Do you wonder
it takes me an hour or, more to gel
away? Some of them ask me tC
write to them, and we exchange ad