Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1918-09-12
WOMEN CHAINED
TO GUNS OF HUNS
Guy GOngwer in Front Line
Trenches Tells of Experiences
That He Has Had.

Private Guy Gongwer, son of Mr..
and Mrs. John Gongwer of this city,
who is now in France serving with
the Rainbow division, portion Of
which is the old Michigan National
Guard, has written most interesting
letter to his mother, which The Rec
ord is glad to have the opportunity to
publish.
The letter tells of German women
fighting side by side with the men. of
the Americans capturing German SOL
diers and women chained to the guns
which they were using, and of some
of the practices of the Germans. The
letter follows;
Dear mother
Il am still all o. k. and on the job.
I'VE have had pretty tough JOB
on our hands, but as you probably
know by now, the Boche has been
getting it very hard and is still going
back towards home The Americans
have certainly been doing some won
derful fighting and the Germans can't
possibly do anything but retreat It
kept us all busy trying to keep up
with them and for awhile | thought
we never would see them.
Il am now beginning TO believe the
stories | have heard of the way thov
do some things. ! saw one man with
Red Cross on his arm that had been
shot, but in his hand he still was
gripping lot of machine gun am
munition. have heard the stories
so many times. but now when we see
them ourselves, we know them to be
a fact.
"Our infantry has found women
running machine guns and about half
of them are chained to the guns so
they can't get away, but must stay
where they are.
1T certainly is an awful war. and
the more one sees Of it the more dis
gusted he feels toward Germany. Our
men have no love for them any more
and it is little wonder.
" lhave not been able to write to
you for quite awhile now. for we have
been on the move almost continuously
for the last few weeks. 1t has been
raining and is very muddy and dis
agreeable.
We are very nicely located now
in an old farm house and are out of
the rain, but there is no telling when
we will have to move on again.
hope that it will not be soon for il
is a good place for our aid station
and we are out of the rain and mud.
Our artillery is very lucky as yet.
but we have been helping out the
infantry because it has so much to
do. The wounded are not coming in
so fast today, so it is little more
quiet and peaceful
"Some think that the Germans are
about all in and certainly hope they
ere so this thing will end and we
can come back home again. 1t surely
can't last great while longer the
way they are being driven back.
Their losses must be very heavy.
We have seen lots Of dead Germans
IN our advance. that they do not have
time TO bury and they are not a very
pleasant sight either. But we must
get used TO il and take it as it comes
IL is some experience anyway.
Must quit now and 90 to dinner
My appetite is still good and yop
had better have a good stock on hand
when the star boarder arrives.
Guy"
"Wednesday a. m.-The war is still
going on same as ever this a. m.
They shelled US some last night but
all came through in fine shape. The
gas is much the worst part Of this
war. but | guess we give them as
much as they send us and then some.
] saw German prisoner brought in
this morning? They all seem very
glad to be taken, but / notice that
there are few being brought back.
They should not bring back any. the
way they do things on 'htr side.
some things that are very hard 70
believe. Guy"
Lick War Savings Stamp and
tt.l,. 20 IL