The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-10-11
CLIO SOLDIER BOY
WINS DISTINCTION
CAPTURES FIRST BOCHES TAKEN
rr BY HIS REGIMENT
Lieutenant Vernon Swihart Wins Com
mediation of General Command
ing Army Division

We have been permitted to read
some letters received recently by
Mr.. and Mrs. Geo. Swihart, parents
Ct Lieut.. Vernon Swihart, now and
for six months past serving with the
American army in France. Vecnon,
il appears, has been right up where
active operations are going on and
has had some personal experience IN
them. We have always said that
Vernon would make splendid sol
der, and so, in justification of our
faith, we feel privileged to tell a
little bit about the exploit which
brought him the marked commenda-
ton of his superior officers.
In his letters Vernon says that
his regiment has been engaged in a
rather quiet sector, the infantry op-
erations having been on a rather
minor scale, but with the artillery
active on both sides. The infantry
of both the German and American
forces had been mainly employed in
night "patrols" into mo Mans
Land" for the purpose of making
small raids and gaining information
about the enemy. On the night OF
August 1929 Lieutenant Swihart
and three men of his company form
ed one of these patrols and had the
good fortune, as subsequent events
. determined, to meet a party of Ger
mans similarly employed. We can
best tell the story of what followed
by quoting briefly from Lieut.. Swi-
hart's letter: 81 took patrol out
one night and met German patrol
about a mile and half from our
line. We heard them coming and
waited for them. In the scrap that
followed we succeeded in killing and
wounding several and capturing three
prisoners, while on our side we got
away without scratch. Sounds rath-
er cold-blooded, doesn't it, but it
was their hides or ours. AS these
were the first prisoners taken by this
regiment, l am much envied young
imam. For my success ! have been
mentioned in ORDERS" that is, Div
ison Headquarters has sent an or
der to every organization in the div
ision telling about my scrap"
Vernon is Enthusiastically mod
est about his exploit, but really he
won very enviable distinction, re-
ceiving a congratulatory communica-
ton from the colonel of his regiment,
the general commanding his bri-
gade, and the commanding general
of his division. AS these were SIM
liar in purport, we are quoting here
with the letter of the brigade COM
mander:
headquarters 178th Inf. Brigade
American E. F.
August goth, 1918
Second Lieutenant Vernon c. Swi-
hart, 355th Inf. Through Command
ing Officer 355th Inf
Sir:
The official report of the Results
obtained by the patrol under your
command on the night of August
27th-28th, 1918, shows that while ac-
companied by three men only of your
command you met and routed force
of the enemy five times as large as
your own capturing three German
non-commissioned officers, killing or
wounding a number of the enemy
and capturing several small arms.
The report further shows that the
success obtained was due principal
ly to your courage, GOODNESS, decision
of character and excellent Judge
ment.
1t gives me great pleasure to ex-
press to you my appreciation of the
gallant and meritorious conduct of
yourself and of the men under your
command:
Sergeant George H. Higgins,
Sergeant Lloyd M. Bergman,
Private Oscar E. Hewitt.
Very sincerely yours,
Thos. G.. Hanson,
Brigadier General,
Commanding 178th Inf. Brigade.
AS citizens of Clio we are all GO
ing to be mighty proud Of this
achievement of one Of "our boys"
and we shall find further comfort in
the fact that we have many others
"over there" who will give an equal
ly good account of themselves when
the opportunity is offered.
Vernon says that he has witnessed
many thrilling airplane flights, in
which the birdmen did all the dare
devil stunts known to the profession.
at the same time lodging shells from
anti-air craft guns and machine gun
bullets from enemy aircraft and
ground forces He also pays tri-
butte to the army commissary
and says that the cooks who pre-
pares the officers mess in his COM
pany is a real artist at his business.
Vernon says the chaplain of his
regiment is one of the hardest work
ing men in the army and that he is
very popular, which shows that our
boys are not forgetting the finer