The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-13
PRIVATE WISE IS
 INTERESTING TALKER .ON. FRENCH ACTIVITY
Wounded Soldier, Returned From France, Here to Boost Fourth Liberty
 Loan Drive

Private Ralph Q. Wise of the eightieth company. sixth marines, sent back to the United States to recuperate from wounds received in France, has been sent to Birmingham to speak for the fourth Lib erty Loan campaign and is speaking un- l der the direction of the state organiza- tion of the four-minute men. He was | reared in Savannah, Ga, and has been in the service two years having enlisted when just IS. He has been in France nine, months and was severely wounded in the right hand during the hard fight ing of the marines in June.
 For six months his regiment was in the trenches off and on, remaining on duty as long as II days without being relieved. He tells many sad, as well as humorous, incidents of the life of sol mixed with the joys, making them all 1 just one big family of brothers. i Private Wise stated that he was at a | listening post in the Bellew woods one morning about o'clock when he saw four Germans coming towards him. 'I had had orders not to shoot unless neces- sary, but when they got within 90 feet of me I thought the time had come, and I fired, killing all four of them," said Private Wise "of course our position was given away by the shooting, but we had killed four of those big towards.
 MAKES MEN FIGHT
 Tt would make any man want to fight the Huns and shoot to kill every time l just to see the many old men and women with their hands off as well as young girls with their hands cut off and in many instances with their eyes punched | out. The Germans are towards when it comes to open warfare. They will fight when they can hide in ambush and shoot you as you pass down the roads, and all we have ever captured have stated they were tired of the war and wished l it was over.
 "We had been fighting hard all day and night, and I was wounded early one morning, but just before that German bullet hit me I killed two Germans with my bayonet, and I know I got many more than that. However I will be glad when I can get back to get few more , of them, for I am most anxious to be on hand when the American troops march | into Berlin.'
 Private Wise stated he was in the hos l pital nearly four months, and he could not receive better treatment than he re- 1 ceived from the Red Cross nurses and the physicians in charge of the hos | pita1.
 1 "The Red Cross and the Salvation army are the real friends of the soldiers and | do for them when they can't do for themselves. The Salvation army workers were always serving us hot coffee, sand wiches and doughnutS when we were Tn 1 the trenches and they went about their work under fire. You people at home will never know just what these organi- zations mean to the soldiers and we know you soldiers at home will back the boys over there by backing the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
 | GOOD FOOD WELL COOKED | "Our food is good and well cooked, but there are times when it is hard mat ter to get supplies to us One day our kitchen Just behind the lines was struck by a shell and blown to pieces and 1t certainly did rain roast beef and pota- toes on that occasion. The soldiers had been watching that good dinner all morn ing, and it was struck just about 15 minutes before time to serve 1t, so or course we had to make out the best way we could after that.
 | "One of the most interesting things to see is the air raids. It is a common
 
 the air and the soldiers always enjoy watching the battles in the clouds" said Private Wise "On one occasion l saw two American aviators bring down three Hun machines and you can bet we were glad to see those German planes fall. | He stated on one occasion that Ger man plane was brought down behind the American lines and the driver was woman
 .The French and English girls are pretty, but they can't come up to the American girls he declared. They were just wonderful to us and couldn't do enough for us, but they cannot take the place of American girls with me-
 TOWNS COMPLETE RUINS
 "The many villages and towns we have captured from the Germans were com plete ruins and the many handsome cha teaus as we'll as public buildings of the towns before the invasion of the Ger l mans are nothing but mass of debris and standing walls. It is impossible for one who has not seen it to imagine the i damage the Huns have done.'
 l Private Wise expressed himself as be- ling glad to get back to the states once more, but very anxious to get back to | France. He has not yet been home and expects to get a furlough about the first of the month to visit relatives Tn Sa- yannah During his stay in Birmingham he is being delightfully."- entertained and stated yesterday that he liked Blrmlng- ham very much, and was glad to vislt here.