Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-24
OFFICERS RETURN
WITH WAR STORIES
Ten Young Lieutenants on
Visit to Washington Report
Some American Experiences.

Ten young lieutenants, just back from
France. bronzed. hard as nails and anx-
ious to return to the fighting front, are
In Washington today.
All are officers Of the Signal Corps.
Another contingent Of engineers has ar
rived in this country and third group
of infantry is coming. They are being
brought back for a time to act as in
structors.
I'VE can't understand the complaints
and suspicious here about the supplies.
food and equipment Of the men over
there" said one of them.
Take this from US. that Americans in
France are well fed, well clothed and
they have the equipment for fighting"
Stories Of Experiences.
The men tell stories by the score Of
their experiences. and they have been all
along the line. Not one of these stories
was grewsome one.
Yes, our men have the guns" broke
in one, but they won't always use
them. 1t Is hard to get some fellows
to understand that this isn't boxing
match. At one point / saw a number
of prisoners brought in during the day
with their eyes BACKED and their faces
banged up.
at seemed when our boys went over
the top they found the quickest way to
dispose of their opponents was to
smash 'em one in the nose, and they did
just that.
Neither can some of the newcomers
over there be made to realize that they
grab q gun with bayonet. forget that
the gun is loaded, and the way they
WELD those bayonets is mighty effec-
tive"
Several German prisoners who re-
Gently have been brought back. the
officers stated. were surprised to find
that they were in the hands of Ameri
cans. They said the German officers
had told them that the British were
dressing in American uniforms and
that there really were few Americans
In the line
Hard to Play Safe.
"The biggest problem the French and
British officers seem to have is to make
the Americans play SAFE" said one
Time and time again the cry goes up
'avion boches.' meaning German aero
plane and the war-wise French or
British dig for shelter. Up will jump
Il
view and exclaim: Where Is the
blamed thing"
Trench life is hard. but it has it's
funny sides. There is the true story
Of an 1rishman who surpassed a group
Of Germans in a dugout.
"'How many of you are there" he
yelled. forgetting that they might not
understand him.
Five was the reply, in excellent
English.
them up among YOU retorted the Irish
man, as he slung them into the dug
out"
One of the young officers was eye
witness to another incident involving
an Irish soldier. A big fellow from
Dublin got over too far into no mans
land and two Germans grabbed him.
They hurriedly started to divest him of
his clothes. for the German soldiers
sorsiy na need cloth: and the Irishman
they had gotten nearly to his skin.
Then he got mad. walloped one of
the Germans in the eye. grabbed
anotaer by the throat and stalked back
into his own lines. In his undercIothes.
dragging German in each hand" the
narrator said.
In this case. as in many, it was ex-
planned. the Germans are not wholly
averse to being captured.
Praises Foreign Devices.
The young officers were high in their
praise Of the English respirators and
the French gas masks, as well as the
English helmets. With slight modifca-
lions these are now being made by
Americans.
One of the officers had talked just be-
fore he left to Frenchman who had
completed flight in a French machine
equipped with a liberty motor.
hat
hghtlng mad is the use of gas" said
one. They are not afraid Of bullets
or shrapnel or bombs. but they are up
and ready to do some effective hating
tacks"
The soldiers in France are mighty
grateful for the tobacco sent them. Sew
eral officers paid a high tribute to the
English Salvation Army. which serves
hot drinks.
The men wore the new trench caps and
they brought with them, but did not wear
them outside the hotel, their Sam Brown
PEI iney are at loss to understand
Perhaps they are useless on this side"
said one, but they are a mighty great
comfort and they serve several good pur-
poses over there. For one thing when
man goes in the front line he needs the
belt to carry his knapsack and other
articles he may wish to take along
Able to Recognize Officers.
But I believe the main reason WHY
they were adopted was to give the Amer
lean officer Il more recognizable distinc- ,
ton from the men. The French and Brit
id, often could NOT tell our officers from
the men, so little is there to distinguish |
one from the other in the uniform
The lieutenants also wear the gold |
device on the sleeve. which indicates
their six months service at the front |
Ten young lieutenants, Just back from
France,
One Of US got married, but still we are
ten i
pa rodled one of them.
For last evening Lieut.. Ben l. Jen-
kins was married to Miss Annie L.
Shaw OF Richmond. Va, his boyhood !
home. Several of the other officers were |
there and all the rest of them Joined !
IN a wedding banquet at a hotel later. |
In the party are also Charles Barrett |
md William o. Perry Of Alaska. John !
E Scott of Richmond, Va: James Fl. !
ynch, John J. Eckert and Fred Fl, ,
Tones OF Boston. and Homer Reed, w. |
A. Parker and r. r. Guthrie Of Kansas |
city. Mo. !