The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-06-07
MERR|EST ARMY
IN WORLD IS THE
ONE FROM AMERICA
ENTER BATTLE WITH GRINS
ON FACES AND CHUCKLE
IN THEIR HEARTS.
KILL THE BOCHE" IS CRY
And They Go at 1t in Way That
Startles Europe-The Associated
Press Correspondent Tells of Ex-
citing Hours Under Fire.

New York June 7.-Experiences
under fire and difficulties faced by
correspondents in the battle zone in
France are told in letter Just re-
ceived BY The Associated Press from
one of it's correspondents with the
American expeditionary force. He
also tells of the fine morale of thV
American troops.
"The conditions in the north (re-
ferring to the Disc district) were
quite exciting for correspondents y
he writes. when was there | was
living in town so close to the lines
that six-inch shells came in on us.
A number of shrapnel broke right
over my house, breaking off the
brick-like shingles. A Carnegie
bowler (steel helmet) was my best
friend.
There was nothing quite so up
setting as to be writing an article
for the papers and hear that whistle
of a shell coming your way. hear it
break overhead, and then hear the
whistle that shrapnel makes as it
shoots downward. The incessant
racket kept up day and night.
Worss at Night.
Nights it was worse; absolutely
preventing sleep. There were the
rumble and roar of French and Ger
man guns nearer the line, the crash
of a French heavy about a block
away, the whistle of shells going out
and those coming in and the c-r-r-r-
umph of Boche he shells explod-
ing. When you finally drop off to
sleep about 3 o'clock in the morn
ing the racket is not SO great, but
YOU never know whether you will
wake up in the bed where you went
to sleep or in hospital bed, or
whether the next thing you hear will
be the voice of old St. Peter telling
you to wipe the mud off your boots
before entering.
added to other troubls, probably
/ have a small quantity of gas in
me. | got whiff about three weeks
ago. 1t wasn't enough to do any
harm, aside from making me vomit
once, and making my eyes and
throat smart. Throat is still little
sore, | did not get enough luckily
to make me go to a hospital or
even to a doctor; but | am glad |
only had one small Whit instead OF
a couple of big ones.
Full of Excitement.
But the whole business is full to
the brim with excitement bred by
uncertainty. and quite the most in
teresting thing in the world. |
would not have missed a single one
of the experiences | have had for a
million dollars. Any front. think,
is probably the most cheerful place
on earth, although nobody would
ever think so. The farther you get
away from the lines the more gloom
there is. But where the shells fly
and life is worth about nickel
nothing matters to anybody. A
laugh and a smile is the thing.
suppose this is because the average
American soldier goes into battle
or into the front firmly convinced
that he'll only get a wound If the
luck is right, and the same time de-
termined TO forget all about it and
enjoy life. | have heard more
funny stories and more laughter
among our men in the line in one
night than | have heard in all the
rest of the time that | have been in
Europe.
Game to the Core.
"And they are great crowd
these fighters of ours; they do their
fighting on the ground or in the air
They are game to the core. cheerful
happy and have one thought only
That is: Kill Germans and they
never overlook a chance. You cant
beat an army that sails into an enc
nv with a grin on its face and a
chuckle in its heart