The evening world., 1918-04-16
BOYS FROM FARMS
OUT IN IOWA ARE
HEROES IN FRANCE
Officers Who Led Them Into
German Trenches Win
the War Cross.

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY
NEAR LUNEvILLE, March IL
Omitted Press).-The farmer from
Iowa Is showing soldlerly qualities
equal to those OF any other Americans
on the battlefront. After the big raid
against the German lines on March
Q an Iowa farmer was sitting at a
rough wood table, writing out a re-
port OF what had happened the night
before for his superior officer.
He was Capt. Charles Casey. His
home is in Veliska. His massive shoul-
ders were bent far over the table as
he wrote a plain, colorless statement
to the effect that he and his men
left their trenches at sos the after
noon before; that all detectives were
reached, and that they had returned
to their own lines on scheduled time.
It was what would be called a
minor operation" in a military sense
merely a raid. But this is a super
war, and during the brief time the
operation lasted, 1t was probably as
violent as Americans have ever seen.
The men vaulted over the parapets;
they passed through a hell of fire.
found tiR woods, trenches and dug
outs OF the Germans demolished by
artillery; an airplane swooped down
on them until the grinning face OF the
aviator plying his machine gun could
be seen.
The boys who went through this
are simple farmer boys again, though
in uniform and in a soldiers billet.
THE boys were great, weren't
they" Capt. Casey said. at was the
hardest thing l ever did in my life
that blowing the whistle that sent
them over. I know they wanted to
go, every one OF them. They were
spelling for it. But to look out there,
to know what they were going into
by George, IT was hard.
Were all from the same county
you know. And there wasn't yellow
one in the bunch. Two boys left
behind TO see that every one went
over had nothing to do. and ran as
hard as they could from one dugout
TO another on their inspection, so they
could catch up with us. Have you
seen the old man7"
The "old man" is Capt Ross, also
from Veliska. He is beyond forty.
His thinning hair is streaked with
gray, and his face shows lines OF
work and study. He led another
raiding party that entered the Ger
lines, not far from where Casey and
his men went IN.
Il Just want TO shake the old mans
hand" unused Casey ''He didn't
have to come over here, of course,
but he's a wonder"
Up a flight OF rickety stairs in a
big bare room, Capt. Ross was found.
His gray eyes were tired.
Il was just looking over last nights
party as 1t appears on paper" Ross
explained as he arose. Il guess I'll
keep this as sort of souvenir"
He was told that Capt Casey was
downstairs. His eyes lighted up.
Then, standlnB IN the mlddle OF the
street. their clothes torn and tattered
by German barbed wire, their hands
and faces still soiled, an Iowa mer-
chant and farmer clasped hands. All
about them were other Americans.
There was joking and laughter as
group after group of these boys
passed by.
But there was a trace OF tear
IN the eyes OF Casey and the eyes OF
Ross.
"The boys couldn't have been bet
ter, could they?" they asked each
other almost in the same breath,
"The folks at homo should be
proud OF them"
The Iowa farmer and the Iowa
merchant now wear the war cross
Their names are on the rolls of the
French Army for bravery and gal
laptr,, In action.