The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-05-25

concerned or out OF II ana nome WIN
pension and so much percent disable
ment-the added love OF your people
and a vast deal Of admiration IRON
every one
Outside Of the air service there is no
other branch which has SO much acton
As a matter OF fact, ] think myself
that the average lniantyman gets more
action and more frequent eXcllcmcnl
than the average AIR man himself Cur
action is without spectacular effect
Some OF my most exciting moments
have been far from picturesque. ! axe
digging-in under fire Look at the ca
pabllties OF an entrenChing tool IRON
a civilian point OF view, and no wonder
some OF the raw recruits from ulc
Yukon asked for pickaxes!
Humors OF Digging-ln
A small garden hoe resembles our en-
trcnchlng tool There /, an oak handle
some eighteen inches long, eight or
nine inches OF metal and there you are
remember one night on a section ol
line around Strczzle We had our tirsi
experience OF entrenching under ire
We were detailed TO dig reserve
trench on sloping ground.
Our officer was young. very young
rigid as to discipline and rcgmen,al a.
it was possible for him 10 be We
started work in perfect alignment, Two
pace, apart to commence thee, then
four PAGES, Then the Germans spotted
u.s.
laughed at it aitcrward laugh al
u now but neither ] nor any one else
DID then Our officer forgot 10 order
u, ru dig IN There was no need any
II ~. wc reached the earth flat 4, soon
e., he, and that va, going some
He Used His Fingers.
We had the advantage Of him, for "c
had orr tools. but ~ were not ilr't ~
the ground No SIR, how that Young
stcr made the earth fly with his FIN
gers was treat
"Whcre do you put the earth when
you dig in,' lady asked me the other
day 4 question something like where
does the wool go when hole comes
IN a sock" We don't wait 10 locate
the surplus earth. but rarely does u fail
to 60 up IN front OF Us.
"Thc ambulance section iur me, J
have heard hundred fellows say, and
follow up their statement with their
idea Of its scope think il NAV he be
cause women drive amhuanccs that
fellows who have the III luck OF rcJec-
tion think II soft job
However as vet, women have not
penetrated TO the lines further for
ward-not because they would not, but
because they may not
Felt Every Pang.
The ambulance driver cannot shoot
the bochc. He has not the genuine sat
isfaction OF the iuiantymcn, who can
drive a bayouct home and revenge pal
dead or Riddle murdered By an air
bomb He has strenuous, nervc-rack-
ne time
II was between FlcurbaiN and Mer-
Vile that saw an ambulance driver
rally hard At IT, was slightly wound
ed in March, 1915 All other times IN
an ambulance since have been beyond
the powers OF observation.
There was fifteen miles to cover OF
rather bad road Three StrctCher cases,
besides myself. were in the van. There
was chap with a leg blown off, an
arm and his head badly smashed. The
other two had severe body wounds.
Strain on Driver Terrific.
At each rut in the road. at every lift
over a stone. as zach shell whEzed by
(there was intermittent Shellihg by the
boche) one or all of those three would
veil or groan or curse. The ambulance
driver is not supposed TO stop for any
thing but the mental, the nervous
strain on our man must have been ter
rife
Five times he got down and five times
came round TO see his agonizing load.
He must have lighted and half smoked
100 cigarets between the field and the
clearing stations His face was gray
and drawn, his lips quivercd, his hands
shook
II was obvious that he frlt every pang
which shot through the tortured, mt
tilated bodies Of my three companions.
II the boys only knew the strain they
would hardly be so keen to enlist Well
for the rest of us that their Imagination
is not strong at the outset
Some rsncy Hospital Corps.
Then there are the stretcher bearers.
Our one-time conscientious obiectors
thought that fairy field--maybe con
science was not so busy after the first
fey hours on the Job.
Rejects also fancy the hospital corps
There is no work here for weaklisg
have seen seasoned doctors and
nurses, Injured for months to painful
sights faint at times at the frightful-
ness Of the wounds they were bound to
see and touch What OF the man un-
trained in surgery or unused to medi-
cine2
A strong mans job Think OF lifting
hefy six-footer, helpless with
wounds, and carrying him along mar
row. muddy trench with mud and water
10 the knee and the enemy shelling
every step Think Of easing the groan-
ing burden round traverses, and up
communication trenches. or think of 60
ing out into the, open of No Mans
Land to lift shattered bodies to safety
Poche Respects No Red Cross.
Dozens of stretcher bearers 90 down
70 enemy shells, for the boche does not
respect the red insignia There is no
retaliation Our hospital corps h un-
armed Not so Fritz. He NAV not de
liberately try to hit | Cross man,
but certainly he never tries to avoid one