The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1918-12-05
SOME FIGHTING
SAYS TOM SWAYZE
Former Secretary of Commercial
Club Has Seen Some Lively
Times on Battle Line

If anyone has an idea that all an
army engineer has to do is to man
pick, a shovel, cant hook or crow
bar away back behind the lines where
all is quiet and devoid of excitement,
he had better get that notion out OF
his head before he reads the following
letter from Tom Swayze, former Sec
rotary of the Kennewick Commercial
club, to A. j. Copeland:
October %
Dear Archie:
Your letter reached me some time
ago but pressing business has prevent
ed me from answering sooner, not the
kind of pressing business that you
understand so well, but another kind
that Fritz knows whole lot about
much to his sorrow.
At present we are holding the line
on a very famous sector. Over to our
left the boys must be going after Jer-
ry in earnest for the. artillery barrage
has been in progress there since early
last night. On our own sector the
Boche tried to come over three times
last night, but didn't have much luck.
We hear plenty of big shells both go
ing and comm but as yet none of 'em
have had my correct address on 'em.
Along early last month we were
sticking arcun lawful" close when the
Yanks put a crimp in the German
hopes on a now historical salient
somewhere over here. And then:
little later on we hit 'em ourselves as
part of another and greater drive.
If you happen to know where your
brother was along toward the close of
September, then you know where /
was, because many boys from Wash
ington were in the division that went
into the drive directly on our right.
l had been in France nearly five
months, most of which had been spent
on some front, but say, boy! All of
my previous war experiences We're
PLAYHOUSE to what l did and saw and
heard during the last days of Septem-
Der.
During the past few years I have
said many harsh and .unkind things
about Germany's war methods. Dur
ing those days last month my time
came to make good on all that talk
and say, boy, / got even good and
proper. For five days and six nights
we carried the fight into the enemy
country and beat him at his own game.
l went over the top on the early
morning of my birthday. Our engineer
battalion had been detailed among our
infantry brigades as wire cutters,
mine hunter, etc. Yours truly was with
a bunch who went over just after the
first infantry wave to cut paths thru
the German wires for infantry col
umns, tanks and artillery. We kept
in sight of the first wave and soon
caught up with them. A man had
strange feelings as he crossed no
mans land in the gray dusk of the
early morning and finally climbed
down into the grass-grown German
trenches. / had thought that when
our artillery barrage lifted we would
find large numbers of square-headed
and sour-visaged soldiers in gray pour
ing out of the dugouts to meet us with
fixed bayonets, but they didn't come
that way. Those that came had their
hands raised high in the air and were
crying "Kamerad! Kamerad!" Later
in the morning tho, we found plenty
of Boche who were inclined to fight
back, for the back area was literally
alive with machine gun nests.
A heavy fog favored us during the
early hours Of the morning, but when
that raised very suddenly Fritz had
the advantage. Now, as have men
toned, this was my birthday, but
please don't wish me "many happy
returns of the day." even tho really
enjoyed it. For the two following days
we followed closely behind the adj
vance lines, keeping the roads in re-
pair and / might mention casually
that Jerry peppered us both day and
night with high explosives and gas.
Big shells have come so near me that
have felt the breeze from them or
have been nearly buried by dirt thrown
by bursting shell.
The fourth day of the fight we were
sent in as infantry support. The
doughboys up ahead had advanced too
rapidly, had run out of ammunition
and when the Boche had counter at
tackled and thanked them they were