The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-08-21
MARINES FIGHT AND
DIE LIKE MEN
Little Rock Gazette}


Mr.. and Mrs. Joe Lyons have re-
ceived letter from their SON, Private
Maxwell j. Lyons, which gives a very
graphic description of real fighting.
He was one of the gunners with the
marines, and he says: '1 have heard
old-timers talk about the civil war
battles, also the wonders of fights of
former times have been recounted to
me time after time. but if it had any
thing on this scrap. it was going
some"
The letter follows:
Dear Folks: / consider myself the
luckiest man in the world for several
reasons.
First was released from the
hospital in time to see some real ac-
ton.
Second escaped unscratched.
Third received my first mail
since / have been here today.
"Fourth-Last, but surely not the
least, received my cables.
81 know it sounds awfully peculiar
to. start letter home in this way, but
am doing it to warn you that it is
going to be long one. Soon after /
wrote my last letter l was released
from the hospital, and on this oceas-
ion | can tell you what was wrong
with me was merely that got hold of
some gassed water which burned the
lining and membrane from my throat
and stomach. For two weeks | was
unable to swallow anything at all.
For one month / was confined to my
bed. AS you know. / was in a French
hospital. l will say that they kept me
in bed by the simple expedient of tax
ing my clothes away from me and
substituting merely a short pajama
shirt that came to my waist. Now,
thank the Lord, am as fine as fid-
die
"No doubt you have read in the pa
pers about the wonderful work the
marines have done in stopping and
driving back the Hun. was lucky
enough to be discharged from the hos
pital in time to join my company just
after they had moved up. / have
heard old-timers talk about the civil
war battles ;also the wonders of
fights of. former times have been re-
counted to me time after time, but if
it had anything on this scrap, it was
going some. This was the real open
warfare, fought in the fields sown
with grain and almost ready to be
moved. You can tell everybody who
asked me to get Boche for them
that / have done it and still have
enough scalps left to paper room
in the kaiser's palace. Our machine
guns just moved them down by the
hundreds, but after all is said and
done, we have to hand it to the Marine
Infantry. They chased the Germans
along their whole front with cold
steel, and if there is one thing the
enemy can't. stand it is the bayonet.
They always surrender or run when
we start at them with it. In hand-to-
hand fighting they are pack of cow
ardly ours. 1t is only when the odds
are sfivesto one or SO that they will
stand.
II believe that the common garden
variety of mole is considered the fast
est digger in the world If anyone
dares to tell you that again, tell them
they belong back in prehistoric ages.
When we first came up the enemy ar
tillery started to shell us with what
we call shell-by -heavies. There we
were out in the open, no shelter,
shrapnel, high explosive shells, gas
and machine guns from the enemy
breaking all around US. The only
thing to do was to dig in at least
couple of feet in the ground and pro-
tect yourself as best you could. You
know we always carried little shovels
and picks which we thought were use
less, but when the shells started to
fall we found ample use for them. In
fact, it was common sight to see
fellows digging little holes to sit in
with helmets and mess pans.
aIf man had wanted to lug SOU
venirs, this was the place to get them
Lots of fellows carried helmets. pis-
tolls, belt buckles and anything Ger
man they could lay their hands on, but
most of us travelled light. In fact,
most of the fellows threw away eve
rything but their masks. gats and
belts.
"There is one thing in particular /
have forgotten to mention. 1t is the
feeling a man has under intense fire.
/ have not taken this idea from my
self alone, but also from the express
sions of opinion of good many other
fellows. When soldier is charging
acress an open field. there is one
thing that flashes through his brain
like a livid streak, the Lord is the
only one who can protect me- You
remember how the elevated trains
sound when you are standing under
meath them and hear an express go
by. Just multiply the speed consid-
erably and imagine the accompanying
whine of big shell. Then imagine
that the road ceases abruptly near
you and explodes with violence and
conclusion of tons of dynamite and
vou have Something of the sensation