The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-12
KANSAS BOY BACK
Lieut.. Rediker, Manhattan, Re.
turned to Train Recruits.
He Tells of Bayonet Fighting
Was in Big sShow" on Somme.

Manhattan. Kan, Aug. IL It's
funny how hard it is to get a
bayonet out of a Ge&man~ They go in
easy enough but they are the deuce to
get out again. The flesh seems to
close around, the blade and a fellow
sure has to pull to get them out. So
said Lieut.. Irving NJ. Rediker. the first
Co. I soldier to return from France
after having been in active service
cover there"
Lieutenant Rediker has some won
derful tales to tell of his experience
and they are being heard eagerly by
the friends here at home-but he
seems to lack the American love of
bravado and it is with difficulty he
can be gotten to tell of his deeds. He
has been in active service on the
Somme river, in the very spot where
so valiantly by the Americans, but
Lieutenant Rediker will simply ex-
press it thus, II didn't care, I just
wanted to get a few Germans before
they got me-
I'VE Don't Care"
OF how a party of 20 men, IS Aus
tralians, one Australian officer and
himself went forward under a barrase
of machine gun fire. entered the
trenches-bagge their Germans-he
says he does not know how many
there were-and escaped back to their
lines with two men killed and seven
wounded he will talk but little. I'VE
didn't care. we just wanted to get
them before they could get u.s." Lieu
tepaRt Rediker expresses it.
Lieutenant Rediker is well and IA
miliarfy known to many people here
as Slim" He used to work for the
American Express company and wore
the striped uniform of all express en-
ployes. He wore that uniform till the
national guards were ordered to Mex
leo and then he joined and served on
local guard unit. He became top SER
2eant and then still as a member OF
Co. 1, he was one of the Manhattan
boys to be modified and sent to Camp
Doniphan, Okla. 1t was in the third
officers training camp at Fort Sill
Okla, that he was given an oppor-
tunity to work for his commission He
was commissioned, a second lieutenant
but has now. received his promotion
to date from July IS. the date of his
arrival back in the United States
Slim Rediker is one of the first de-
tail of able bodied officers to be sent
back to America and is the first Co
boy to return from the front. He
has been visiting with his relatives in
Minneapolis, Mimi, and will be here
! till Monday. But I'm from Kansas, -
Lieutenant Rediker says.
10 Train cadets.
Lieutenant Rediker will now be-
come one of the instructors at the ca
Diet training camp at Fort Sheridan
H., the Americans having decided il
is better to train our American sol
d1ers under American instructors
W men asked If he thought this a good
idea slim" remarked I'll say it is,
He has orders to report there on Aug.
ust Is.
The returned coIIia- l.; L.:-
a target for thousands of question:
and in reply to the q >estion about ea-.
Tor the soldiers in France he said tha-
they are well fed. 1T is a hard tasl
to get warm food to the men in the
trenches, Lut when they come out the1
are given fresh meat, white bread, jan
and everything wholesome and wei
cooked
In reply to the query about the enc
OF the war, he said it is his opinion
| that many men now being drafted
| will never be sent into action at all
THE Germans areAlicked now, if they
| only knew it," he said.
He Has Chevron.
Lieutenant Slim is wearing one O
| the nifty little service hats and also
| blue chevron, which indicates that n,
| has been in active service less thar
six months
One of the stories of the warfare a!
| carried on py the nuns Is ABOUT on
of the gas attacks he witnessed il
which there were $4,000 casualties
| The gas was thrown over into the al
| lied line in projecti1es and strucl
English, Australians, Canadians ant
French. 'tI saw trucks by the hun
dreds carrying men who were gasse'
back from the liney sYes, you ar
| right, I wore my gas mask" He ex
| planned that this attack was of mus
| tard gas But 1t is the story of how
| ne killed his two Germans that the in
| terest centers and this is the part o
| his experience he seems to steer ava,
| from as much as possible.
| "An BACKED Up"
| ct was with the Australians at tn
| time for instruction and We were al
| BACKED up with cork-you see
| mans face looms up in Norman STAND
and the Huns have keen eyes We USE
| our bayonets till we had cleared GU
| that section of the trench and thel
| beat it back. No, you bet we did no
| wait to bury the dead. I did want {
get a souvenir of that little trip. so
got the belt buckle of one of the Ger
| mans 1t has some kind OF an inScrip
ton on It, printed in German whicl
means God with us but 1 guess Co
forgot those Germans at that time.
It is just Sims spirit of Il dom
care-I wanted to get him before h
got me-" that is characteristic of a.
| our American boys in France today
and it is the same spirit that will wi