Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-09-11

when could not stand It any longeV
I rushed out into the. bay Of the fire
trench and right up against tho para.
pet, where it was safer.
Hundreds Of star shells were being
sent up by both sides and the field
and the trenches were as bright cs
day. All up and down the trenches
our men were lodging about. keeping
out Of the way Of the bombs that
were being thrown in our faces. It
did not seem as If there was any place
where it was possible to get cover.
Most Of the time was picking dirt out
Of my eyes that explosions had driven
into them.
If you went into a dugout the men
already in there would shout, Don't
stick in a bunch-spread out! While
you were in dugout you kept expect
ing to be buried alive and when you
went outside you thought the Boches
were aiming at you direct-and there
was no place at all where you felt
safe.
But the fire bay looked better than
the other places to me. had not been
there more than few minutes when
big one dropped in and that bay was
just one mess. Out of the "a men in
the bay only eight escaped.
When the stretcher bearers got there
they did not have much to do in the
way Of rescue-it was more pallbear-
er's work.
A stretcher bearer was picking up
one Of the boys when grenade land
ed alongside of him and you could not
find a fragment of either of them.
That made two that landed within
twelve feet of me; yet was not even
scratched.
When got so that I could move
went over to where the captain was
standing, looking through a periscope
over the parapet. I was very nervous
and excited and was afraid to speak
to him, but somehow I thought I
ought to ask for orders. But
could not say word. Finally a
shell whizzed over our heads-just
missed US, it seemed like. and 1 broke
out: what did you see? What's all
Of the news?" and so on. I guess I
chartered like monkey.
Then he yelled: you're the gunner
officer. You're just in time-I've To-
Gated their mortar batteries"
I surely wished I was the gunner
officer. / would have enjoyed it more
If I could have got back at Fritz
somehow. But I was not the gunner
officer and told him so. I had to
shout at him quite while before he
would believe me. Then he wanted
me to find the gunner officer. but I
did not know where to find him. If
could have got to our guns I guess
would have had another medal for
working overtime, but I missed the
chance there.
About this time another bomb came
over and clouted out the best friend
I had in my company. Before the
war he had been one of the finest sing
ers in the Paris opera houses. When
he was with US he used to say that
the only difference between him and
Caruso was $4,000 a night.
A poilu and I dragged him into q
dugout, but it was too late. One side
Of his face was blown off; the whole
right side Of him was stripped of
and four fingers Of the right hand
were gone.
stuck my head out Of the dugout
and there was the captain discussing
the matter with himself, cursing the
Germans from here to Helgoland and
putting in word for the bombs every
once in while. All up and down the
trenches you could hear our men
oursing the Germans in all kinds of
languages. Believe me, did my bit
and could hear somebody else using
good old United States cuss words
too. It certainly did not make me feel
any better, but 1t gave me something
to do. think that was why all o1