The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1918-11-28
NEWS OF OUR SOL.
DER BOYS
CONTINUED from Page y

with the greatest accuracy. | didn't
think we could possibly lick them be-
fore July. To land in New York and
learn the war was over was the great
est surprise of my life.
"Of course | don't know much about
it but | don't think the Germans were
ever as near Paris as it looked on the
map. Foch, / belive, could have stopp-
ed them at almost any place. His
lines were thinly held; many regi-
ments were made to stay at the front
until four-fifths of their effectives
had been lost. But all the time there
were acres of fresh soldiers but few
miles back At one place our own
marines lost 5000 out of 5000
100000 Americans which Foch didn't
use until the crucial moment.
"This was Foch's strategy. With a
minimum number of men he made the
Germans believe they were really
sweeping everything before them and
all the while he made them pay dearly
AIlQ Ill LDc UltdHLiIilC l. VII was PfAtfiS
lid his immense reserves an at the pro-
per moment he launched them at stra-
tegic points and won the decisive bat
ties of war.
"All or nearly all new soldiers are
wild to get into battle. But after
brief spell the thrill wears off and
men fight more mechanically. The
excitement so soon becomes an old
sordid story There was an army of
600 Americans which Foch didn't use
until the crucial moment.
"These men were drilled and drill
ed until they longed for a change.
Anything to get away from that beast
ly grind. And of course after all that
training they wanted taste of real
action. Foch had them drilled until
they were simply wild to do something
or anything and then threw them into
the Germans in an offensive. The
Americans simply tore up the earth;
they couldn't be stopped.
"There was one division whose mot
to was Nothing but hell can stop u.s.
and l am sorry to say that when
thrown into the fight many of those
brave fellows got hell. The Germans
fought we'll but the Americans were |
invincible."
Blair says that probably the time
when he was more frightened than
any other was when he had to climb
a tree to do observation work. His
commander ordered him up the tree
and told him to stay there until fur
Their orders. He thinks he was spot
ted by German gunners as trees and
limbs were blasted away all around
but he had to keep glued to that
perch for six hours.
Business is so much better than
war;" said Blair in burst of humor. i
"In business if your boss tells you to
do something you don't want to do,
you can at least quit your job. But .
III war you have to do exactly what [
you are told and there are no ifs about {
it. {
another time l had to stand up in I
a wheat field and make observations
with glass. had to do it. A Ger I
man machine gunner spotted me and t
tore loose. For ten minutes l stood /
up there with that machine gunner 7
blazing away. l felt like 1 was as big S
as the Woolworth building; every +
minute l expected to be riddled. Bull T
lets cut the ground and whined by me 1
in stream, but luck was my partner b
The gunner was five hundred yards F
away but he should have gotten me; T
he must have been a mighty green n
shot"
Blair says the Australians, New n
Zealanders and Canadians are about e
The same as the Americans; that they t.
are all very friendly. He says the ad- a
of the Australians for the Il
Americans was very marked. He tells n
| story about a German officer cap il
ured by an Australian. il
The Australian started a goodna- S,
ured argument. He declared it was e.
'nly a question of time before the
lilies would be in Berlin. The German p
lidn't think SO. al
We've still got Got with u.s." he de- h,
Jared, gravely. m
Eyes," said the Australian in all 10
eriousness, "but don't you know we've to
till got the Americans with U.s."
al
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