The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1918-11-11
D, J. SULLIVAN HELPS
N OBJ OE SEPT. Z
Former TechniCian in NJ. y.
Finds German Dugouts
Fitted Up In Style.
Is LOST IN FRANCE
After Three Weeks in Hospi-
tai, Has Trouble Getting
Back to Division.

The following letter was received
from Daniel J. Sullivan. former tech
rician in the department of zoology
at the University, now in France, by
Eugene F. Reuther.
Perhaps l have lost your friend
ship by not writing to you but hope
not. for l really want to see you
when the France special pulls into
little Columbia in 1888. You can
iudge from the letter you received
from your brother how much time
, a soldier, who is in the lein of action,
has to spend on writing.
To-day is Sunday, but still no diff
ferent from other days on the battle
field. A little let up in the labora-
tory work today gives me an oppor-
tunity to write you a few lines tell
ing you what can of my experience
in France and in the war.
About two weeks after l got to
France | took sick very suddenly and
was taken to a base hospital, where
I was kept for three weeks. When
| got out of the hospital and started
for duty things got tangled up some
where along the line and l was lost
in France for about three weeks. Well
after visiting Paris, getting into the
Marines. transferred to another divi-
sion. thrown out of a United States
truck that tipped over, and running
with a machine gun barrage, l finally
got caught up with own outfit and,
believe me, l was happy to see my
commanding officer. When l saw him
| knew | was home at last.
81 found them just where you
would expect to find a Western bunch,
right up close to the music of the big
guns, and our boys were soon to
prove that they knew how to fight.
| shall never forget the morning of
September II at 10 o'clock. We all
expected it and our nerves were all
strung awaiting for the terrible roar
that was to shake all France. When
il did start it was no side show but
a real honest-to-goodnes big tent
show. AS you have seen by now, our
boys found the job one of the easiest
they ever tackled. Those Huns do
not stand up before the men in o. D.
uniform.
we moved up as fast as we could
on the heels of the dOughboys, and |
went through the trenches that the
Huns had lived comfortably in for
four years. The dugouts were fixed up
in great style, and everything in the
trenches gave me the impression that
those fellows thought they were new
er going to be disturbed. They got
the greatest surprise of their lives
this time, and if you could have seen
the way they left their meals and
half filled beer glasses, you too would
say they beat it.
Il found many things of interest all
through the section so recently occu-
pied by the Huns. In my dugout l
found a Hun, but as he was dead,
do not get a Croix de-guere. l re-
ported my find to the chaplain, who
was at the edge of the woods, and he
sent his men up to get the Hun and
bury him with the others. They give
every one of them as decent a burial
as is permitted on the battle field.
Your brother is not close to where
! am, he is in another section. l can
not get a chance to see him. My kid
brother is on another section, so you
in by about fifty feet, and Thursday
the real stuff. Last Sunday they
missed hitting an ambulance l was
take trip up close and get near to
Once in every three or four days ]
see | am out of luck all around.
| went up with my company and got
gassed with that sneezing gas and
could not eat my supper. That night
the Huns threw over some big ones
and the next morning they gave us
another sample of the gas; but let
me say right here, that we gave them
many times more than they ever sent
over to US"