The Press., 1918-03-07
.RED CROSS SENDS PROMPT AID TO
 ITALIAN FORCES
AMBULANCE MEN FROM FRENCH FRONT FIRST TO
 REACH ALPINE SECTOR.
Now Attending Wounded Men of General Diaz's Army on
 Snow Capped Mounts.
-(BY A RED CROSS REPRESENTA-
 TIVE IN lTALY.)

| nAILS seGlOf MHeEG tue enemy uEAfS
 has been at it's iercest, a hundred
 American Red Cross Ambulance men,
 the first actual representative of the
 United States in rhe Italian Theatre of
 War, are ministering to the needs of | the mSimed and wounded in General piaz'K srmy. These are picked, sea
 Soned men. They have driven on the
 she'll exposed roads at Yerdun, or rhe
 Aisns and the terrible Chemin des
 names Some have been decorated
 with the Croix de Guerre. There is
 not raw youngster among them.
 These men have Jumped from the frying pan into the fire" as their con s frereE back in France have expressed ] ir. Straight into the middle of tre- I mendous offensive they were pitched,
 there to perform q service which will ! require every ounce of stamina. ev-
 cry atom of physical endurance that
 youth can summon. The American
 Red Cross accepted with gratitude | this post of peril and honor for her
 men, thus making the War-bond be- | tween America and Italy s thing of
 flesh and blood.
 Americas nTst contingent of Am
 bulance men in Italy-other c0ntin- gents will arrive soon-motOred into
 rhe Italian war zone just four days after the American congress declared war on Austria Hungary. And this proYIdentlal coincidence was irresisti- ble in its appeal to the Italians. They gent up q shout of joy that rang from Brsndisl to the nOrthernmosr hamlets Of the Alps Such swiftness in get ting into action, the blow following hard upon the word. It was just this sort Ot quick work that America stood for to rhe people of Italy. Here were the Americans, they said, before rhe ink was dry on the declaration of war on their hated enemy that President Wilson had signed!
 Three American Red Cross Ambu- lance units appeared unheralded on the Italian country side. Word soon was passed around that the "AmeTi- cans are here." Welcoming groups Ioomed up everywhere. The air be- came vocal with cheers, not well timed salvos, like the 'Rah, rah, rah!" of college groups, but shouts that seemed to run the whole gamut and sound. An answering shout and the caYalcade rode along.
 Welcomed at Milan.
 Milan staged the most enthusiastic welcome of all. The three units re- ceived their applause. They drove off to war. That was what the public saw-the surface drama of that small valOrous band. Behind all this there lay a story worth the telling. It is a story which faithfully describes the work of the Red Cross in all emergen- eies.
 On a rush call the American men trekked down from Paris to Milan in their motors-a long mOnotonous trip, hard upon the cars and not less upon the men.
 They motored for eighteen days. Their path from Paris to Milan, via Marseillel snd Nice, led them to the most beaming, wonderful adventures among the hospitable country folk of Northern Italy. Everywhere the mag ic word American" painted on the smbulances, was q passport to the Italian hearts Flowers, food, red wine, the white eyed admiration of the young women, the laughing confidence of the children with whom the north ern provinces are filled to oyerfiowing were thrust upon them. None of the young Americans spoke Italian, al- though one had developed a sort of a patois of his own. His attempts to make himself understood sent the na- tiYes into peals of laughter.
 It was 6 hard ride-this shift from the French to the Italian front. Yet it was a ride that not one of them would have missed. The Riviera coun- try, with its uplands. headlands, sky and water, fascinated them. Their climb up the mountain cliffs so steep that the roads were fairly ehiseled out of their rough breasts; their chugging passage through villages, ancient and picturesque, will stand out in their memory for all time. And the chief memory of it all for them will be that compelling, unforsettable Italian smile, different from anything else in the world.
 At Nice, on the Italian frontier, the section met it's first benefactress. 4 few hours after day had famed across the night the Americans arrived at this resort. Begrimed. news of their arrival brought an English woman, Mrs. Cutler by name, to their garage, ! bringing flowers, apples and cigarettes. | Thus was Section l, Italy," given its farewell to France on the frontier. |
 There were no formalities or GUS tom difficulties about crossing into | Italy. Whenever any guard, sentry or official was dubious about letting the | units proceed without strict inspac- | tlOn, aiI that was necessary was 10 | ruh sFime of the ambulance and point | 10 the Rel Gross. Flat worked tho | magic change. America" and the | "kmcricsln I;rd Cross were each an | 'pen sesame to Italy. Through the village of yentimiglia, San Reno, St. oier-d' Aroma, SayOna and FOntedecimO hey motored, Italian hospitality Striv- ng to outdo itself at every point.
 "Pres-ee-dent-ee Vilson!" | There were many adventures. For | instance, the interpreter assigned to he convoy, a young Italian of the 5ergaglieri, with the brassard of Brit sh Headquarters Service on his Ileeye, proved to be a real cosmopoli- 'an.
 Il come from New York;" he said. T have lived over there ever since vas kid. When left to come back lere was dancing with Spanish girl n the Hippodrome show. Some ,hsnge, isn't itf'
 At PontedeeimO an Italian Sergeant dominated the details of hospitality md proudly exhibited the fact that be vas not altogether unaequainted Wlth he English language. He ordered . 'ottle of wine and, filling his glass, tRode over to the Americans table D the inn.
 Lifting both glass and bottle high