The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-13
After Battle Man OF Duty
Complained of Silence.
Men Tell Endless Stories of
HerOism of Their Leader.
HOWLED OVER MONKEY MEAT
Officer Created UprOar When
Canned Shredded Beef Came.
Troops Had Been Without Meat
and Expected Fresh Beef.
BY LOWELL MELLETT.

With the Americans on the Marine,
June 3 (by maiD.-I spent today
among the American heroes of the
Marine in a quiet village where even
the big guns are scarcely audible. The
contrast to the recent fighting was so
great that one lieutenant complained
the "deafening silence" prevented
him from sleeping.
Ragged young veterans sprawled
about, soaking up the sunshine and
trying to organL their own mental
picture of what they had been thru.
Their leader, not SO ragged. because
he was wearing an intact, nonfitting
private's uniform, with only q
shoulder tab to indicate his rank. was
irving to classify his recommends
tons of his men for bravery.
There is one recommendation which
the officer cannot make, but which
every man does. That is the leader
himself They tell endless stories of
his performances during the fourteen
days and nights of the Belleau wood
fighting. They say you will always
find him in their midst where shells
a-e falling the fastest or machine
guns splitting the most dangerously
monkey Meat Instead of Beef"
got a line on the mems affection
for their leader when witnessed his
unroar on discovering that contin-
gent OF IIlOnheJ AlACdS eAS 49, 1900
like to call canned shredded beef
had been delivered today instead OF
the fresh Leef that had been ordered
The delivery apparently was a mis-
take. as the necessity of hot meat ana
other hot food is recognized in the
case of men who have not been eating
any hot food. even coffee, Tor Two
while the officer was struggling
with the question of recommendations
I made a little unofficial canvass
among the men, seeking to learn their
ideas as to who should be awarded In
the course of a few hours I obtained
many.
There was Big Swede" Peterson.
None knew hi first name or his home
town and he was absent Peterson's
machine gun crew was killed he
fired the gun all alone until the Ger
mans ran. Then he seized the gun
and carried it forward, reset it and
fired until the Germans ran again.
Took Machine Gun Single Handed
Then there was the unknown fell
low who dashed straight at machine
gun which was picking off the men all
about him. He grabbed the pnuzzle
and turned tie gun on It's PACK Wnlle
the boche crew ran.
Walter Cook, a private, of Price
burg, Pa, when Lieut.. Drinkard Mill
ner of Henderson, Tex, was compelled
to assume command of a company
the captain being 1illed-calmly &C
cepted the job of second in command
there being no other officers. He man
aged the Den like West Pointer, and
was as cool as a cucumber despite
raining shell and seething machine
gun bullets.
John Iago of Peoria, Ill, was
wounded and was bound for the rear
in an ambulance when bursting shell
struck the machine. He got out.
helped repair the damage, climbed
back in and resumed his journey to
the hospital.
Prisoners as Stretcher Bearers.
An unnamed sergeant, when every
tOdy else was ducking the job of TAX
ing back the wounded, because they
wanted to continue the rush forward.
took charge of forty prisoners, orgaL-
lied them as stretcher bearers and
made them work until the field was
cleared up. Then he marched them
to the rear.
Stories of this kind are endless
Personally, never before believed the
tales of men wanting to go back after
a serious siege of fighting. but today
twenty of them told me they are ready
after a DAVIS rest