The Washington herald., 1918-06-24
BY @. C. LYON.


Washington Herald Reporter with
Pershing's Army in France.
In the American trenches in France
(by maiD-There's a new philosophy
of death In the American army In
France. It's hard to define, but ats
an intangible something" that has
taken hold Of the minds Of our fight
ing men. They no longer fear death.
It's only very recently that I myself
caught the spirit of the thing.
FataIIsmf MOI
Some people would call II fatalism,
but the average soldier expresses it
thus: I'm not dead yet and I won't
die until my time comes"
Whatever It is, 1t kills worry.
Since our boys have quit worry
ing so much about their prospects of
getting killed they have more time
and energy for fighting and enjoy the
game more" said q high general who
was commenting on the mental
change that had come over his troops.
Our boys did not quit worrying
about death until they actually got
in the trenches. In their training
camps many miles back of the lines,
often found lads worrying over pos
sible dangers that might confront
them later.
Once in the trenches, however, their
attitude has changed completely.
Coward . Hero Now.
The case Of Bennie Blank illustrates
the point. Every time had visited
certain OUTFIT back in the training
camp. Bennie was In the guard house
squad for misconduct; and when I
asked him one day why he didn't be-
have himself. he said:
MY nerves gone completely. Guess
I'm a natural born coward. I've been
trying either to get kicked out Of the
army or to be sent to the rear"
But when his regiment went to the
front he marched along. Later J
asked his captain how he was doing.
Absolutely the best soldier I've
got" the captain declared with some
pride. Hes now the only lad in the
entire regiment who has been recon.-
mended for a medal for gallantry
under fire.
Just before the Germans ATTEMPTED
raid on us one night they shelIed
us for nearly an hour and all our
telephone wires were cut. We were
up against it.
II called for 4 volunteer to take a
message back,
Five boys stepped out. Bennie was
one Of them. When he saw my sur
prise he said. almost pleadingly:
Let me go. captain! I want to
show you I'm all right
"Bennie took the message. A little
later a lieutenant came up to me and
said:
Captain, am going to file charges
against one of your men. 1 met him
back there and he was bent on going
right through that barrage. I COM
manded him to wait until it slackened
anc all he said was you go to hell
and mind your own business" and
went right on through"
Bennie, a few days later, was the
hero OF his outfit.
trenches I was cured OF my cold feet"
he explained to me. Two of us were
In a dugout when a piece of German
shell came through the roof. The
other fellow was killed: I didn't get
a scratch. How can you explain that?
1 told myself I wouldn't and I haven't
worried about death since"
When Their Time Comes.
Every hour Of the day, almost,
the soldier has impressed on him
that it's useless to worry. A COM
pany was coming out Of the
trenches the other morning and
every man, though worn and sleepy,
was happy in the thought of quiet
days ahead with shaves and baths
and good things to eat and recre-
alton.
A big jovial sergeant sang out:
well, good-by. trenches, that
much is over with for awhile.
Boys. wen all be seeing the
Statue of Liberty yet"
Just at that instant a shell ex-
struck the sergeant in the head and
killed him.
It looked as II the sergeant's time
had come to die.
An artillery lieutenant, whose
battery had been under almost con-
slant shelling for days and who
had lost several Of his men, fell
from his horse and died from
fractured skull the first day he got
baek to rest camp.
Personally, also have lost my
fears Of getting killed. My regu-
lar billet II In q partially demol-
ished old stone house Just back Of
the lines and hundreds OF shells
pass over 1t every day
Nethtpg ever happened y the