New-York tribune., 1918-12-10
WA but Joyous Din Greets Firs'
Ut "Old Sirty-Ninfh' Heroes Home

to machine gun against odds and
fall at his post in triumph; the fellow
who told the French to forget about
retreRting and who told the Germans
to go to hell.
Neither race nor religion, state nor
regiment matters with these warriors
from the West front. There were brave
men all over the line every hour Of the
day.
Lieutenant Norman X. Todd. of
Locust Valley. L. L., wounded in the
Argonne after eight days. continuous
fighting with the 305th Machine Gun
Company, said the boys of the Metro
politan Division (77th) put up a won
derful fight. their ranks studded with
countless instances of individual
heroism.
~ saw one great piece Of work in
the latter part of September" he said.
1T was performed by young Jew,
who, | was told. was drafted from the
East Side. l never got his name, but [
learned that he was pants cutter in q
sweatshop in this city.
he started out in an attack with a
bunch of machine gun men. all of them
doing great work until the Germans
opened up suddenly. A terrific fire
poured into them from the German
side and in punches of five to ten the
gunners were killed or forced to re-
treat This little East Side pants cut
ter stuck to his gun and lasted until
the expected German advance started.
All the while he poured in a deadly
hail of machinegun bullets into the
ranks of the oncoming enemy and es-
capped unhurt. Somehow they couldn't
hit him. He stuck there alone waiting
for death which did not come, and then
when he saw he would be captured he
drew out hand grenade and pulled
the spring and hugged it close until
1t blew him to pieces"
Ray Davis, a private of the 149th
Field Artillery, of Illinois, said that
New York City should be proud of the
those fellows fight" he said, "and be-
licve me they are some tigers. Nobody
can describe the great work those boys
did in the Champagne. We got into
action just as the French Blue Devils
were depleted and ready to retreat.
"They shouted to us in French that we
should retreat, as we could never hold
the Germans, but we we're there for a
scrap and we told them so.
Then came the 165th and they got
the same tip, that the best thing they
could do was to retreat. Nothing
doing shouted the New Workers. TO
hell with retreat! Stick with us and
give the Huns hell!'
The Frenchmen stuck and, led by
the 165th, gave the Germans the great
est repulse they ever got along the
Western front. 1t was at heavy cost,
but it threw the fear of God into the
hearts of the Boches.
Chaplain Led Regiment
Another traveller on the Sierra was
the Rev. Ray r. Jenny, fighting chap
lain, of Decatur, Ill.,, who had four
wound stripes on his sleeve and who
killed Germans as enthusiastically as
he ministered to the dying Americans
on the field before st. Mihie. Every
officer in his company was killed in
that drive, and when he saw his SER
geant drop he took command and led
what was left of his company through
every advance until his regiment was
relieved.
Another wounded fighter was Cap
tain Napoleon B. Marshall, a negro, of
the old 18th New York and lawyer
of this city. He was wounded several
times and was elevated to a captaincy
soon after he arrived in France. He
aid showing on the Western front not
only for bravery, but for the splendid
headwork they showed then in tight
places.
Although the Sierra was hard hit by
storms on the trip across from Brest
the health of her men on arrival was
excellent. When she left the French
port she had thirty-two wounded who
had to be carried aboard on stretchers,
but when she locked fifteen of these
we're able to walk ashore.