Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-13
STACKER DESERVES
sCORN or MANKIND
Virginia Boy In France Says Man
Who Shirks His Duty Is Ig-
norant Coward.
SEES ACTION IN FRONT LINES
Lieutenant S. G.. Dietrich Tells Of
His Experiences, and GlOrics in
Fact That lie Is Taking Part in
His Country's Fight.

who Is a second lieutenant &. y. g..
antiaircraft artillery. with the Ameri-
can cXpcditionary forces in Franco. has
written az follows to his parents:
Could ] describe to YOU ell that
have seen and done since my last let
ter 10 you. ] would have 10 wr!A
hook and forget all censor laws. am
neither an author nor "a lawbreaker.
but I will tell you rs much I can
with my small vocabulary ard being
under the restrictions that am.
For three years and more have
read about and heard o. this war. bat
now J have seen with my own eyes
the real thing. | have seen tho move
incnt of masses Of troops and supplies,
have witnessed battles in the air and
ON tho ground watched batteries in
action. heard German shells whis,linG
overhead, and bursting behind mo,
stumbled across shell holes seen VIII
lagos destroyed by German lombard
rient, passed by miles OF old trenches
and barbcd wire entanslcmentS where
mon have died FOR their country.
"rawlcd through trenches within rife
fire OF tho enemy. looked OUT over mo
mans land" and at tho German
trenches and still have not done what
want 10 do most: my part to'help
win liberty for the world an! all
The more anxious TO get into the thici:
Of tn. fight. would give anything
TO be able to come homo "a night md
tell you about 1t, but would want 10
nc riSht back here at sunrise .hc next
morning. The man Of military age
who Stacks when the United States calls
him 10 do his par; in tho monster
struggle for tho rights OF humanity
is an ignorant coward, and deserves tho
scorn OF mankind. The more | sec of
France and her work. the more | adj
'nire her and the proudcr | am that
have a chance to help such a nation
night tho battles Of the world to-day
Next TO the United States. France
stands uppermost in my heart. have
always been proud Of tho hospitality
OF Virginia. but tho treatment that we
receive here surpasses anything | ever
saw or heard OF there.
WARNING or GERMAN
AInpLANEs u GIVEN
Monday at noon our party left Paris
for various points along tho French
front, to be assigned to hnttcric. The
group that l am in rea Chcd hcadGuar.
tors at - about O'Clock where
hotel arrangements had been made for
US by tho French officer who nc, VI
q the station. AS VIC were getting out
OF tho motor car with our baggage AZ:
the hotel the signal sounded. warning
the citizens OF tho town OF tho APP
p-oach OF German airpiancs. hut they
did not como that far. as VIC ate n,i-
dinner without being bombed, ana wen,
carly TO bed. This is in the noun
tains OF France. and the scenery COM
ing up from Paris waa very beautiful
the change in temperature Is also no
ticcahc
Tuesday morning VIC were M early
ate French breakfast. and walked
to the top OF "A mountain nearby 20
observe The battery there for tho air
craft defense OF the town. Nc had
not been up there long when the alarm
Mo
coming over the front line. Other bat
icrics fired q; him before he reached
us driving him high III tho air. Then
two French planes attacked him ami
sent him TO tho ground. We spent
very profitable day there. considering
tho knowledge gained and tho mos,
enjoyable lunch and tea with the Of
iccra. You would he surprised TO sec
the meal that those officers spread
Tor us.
Wednesday morning VIC left carly in
motor bus. escorted by tho French
officer. TO visit several baitrics near
the front line. We rode all the morn
ing, saw two antiaircraft batteries.
and field battery firing. passed
through several towns that had been
destroyed by German shell fire. and
saw many miles OF beautiful country,
except for tho fact that most OF il
had been torn by tic hand OF our awful
war. VIC got back to in time
for late lunch. After lunch VIC went
out to tho aviation Held to study typca
OF airplanes. Here the officers gave
us delicious tea at o'clock. Every
where VIC stop the French officers treat
us like lords and mobiles.
Thursday morning wo started on,
again in two fast French cars for an
All-day tour. Again we went over
many miles of hills and valleys. visited
several more batteries saw the effects
of German shell fire in many places
end Sa wthc German trenches at
distance. VIC got up into the secondary
trenches. 1000 meters from the German
front line, on top of n hill. and peepcd
over at mo mans land" and shells
bursting over the German line While
VIC were at another position the Ger
mans were Smelling a battery behind
US, and the shells were whistling in the
air over our heads and exploding about
400 meters from lis. II gives you
feeling TO hear those things whistlinC
by at first, but | soon got used to it,
Before VIC got back 10 for din
ner that night at 8 O'clock we had
been over many miles of good roads
Francc abounds in good roads), and
seen some Of the most picturesque
country / ever saw. Sometimes we
were flying along roads seen by the
'Boches.' so could not burn our lights
coming back in the dark
ATTACHED TO BATTERIES
FOR OBSERVATION
Friday (to-day) we left - for the
front again, but to stay this time. We
arc now attached to batteries for OBJ
scrvatioR. ] and four OF my comrades
arc nowN living very comfortably with
tho ofhceSs of batteries - and -,
within sight OF the German frontier.
We live in an old chateau. which was
occupied by the German officers in the
first year of the war, and one OF them
was buried in the front yard. Tonight
just before dinner the Germans were
Smelling tho battery on the hill near
here. and we could hear the shells as
they whistled by and exploded on the
hill One OF the officers here speaks
good English, but the other one speaks
only French and German.
November S.-To-day, as was yestcr-
day also, 1t was cloudy and foggy, so
the "Bocho birds" did not appear for
us TO shoot at. We spent the forenoon
at one battery studying it's construr.