Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-09-18
SOLDIERS LETTERS
Views from the War by the Boys Who
Are There.

Are There.
This letter was written to A. E.
Harlow of Irasburg by his brother,
Walter, who is in Y. M. c. A. work
in France:
Dear Brother:
The family letters reach me in
bunches usually and you can guess
that l am glad to get them. That
does not mean that mail service is
poor, but rather that l have a way
Of getting up in a front seat some
where, (and sometimes on the
"stage") and can't be bothered with
personal matters during the "show."
There are some of US secretaries who
have had previous experience in doing
first-aid work and are attached for Y.
M. G.. A. work to particular regi-
ments. During some manoeuvers we
cannot run a canteen so go with our
troops and render such service as we
can. During one such action which
began the 18th and lasted six days, a
brother of yours reported to a sur
geon in charge of an aid station and
went forward with the active por-
tions of the regiment doing such nom
combatant service as he was allow
ed to do. Anything from acting as
litter-bearer to bring in wounded, to
reading a simple burial service over
the two of the men in his regiment
who were killed in action. 1t might
be added that the first men to require
his attention at the dressing station
were enemy prisoners. Later that
first morning as we advanced our ar
tillery about as far as from your house
to the hills of Bloomington, a few of
pla nH attention
There were times when this sort of
service took us first aid men out be-
yond our positions to places in plain
sight of the enemy, and once bunch
of US went down almost to the edge
of a place like Clark Bailey's meadow
while our men were driving the Boche
up the opposite slope. We brought
back a French captain. l saw men
pull off some mighty fine things. One
ration cart driver was bringing up
food and hot coffee to one of our bat
teries and the enemy was shelling
the road. 1t was getting dusk and
he had not been to, the new position
before. He stuck by that cart and
went through when the other man, his
helper, left the cart and ran for a
trench. While he was at the place
the position was bombed from the air
but he stayed by his team and went
back as if nothing had happened.
Since the battle his captain asked me
to tell of instances of bravery l had
noticed and when 1 told of this one,
he said, go yes, that's to be expected
of Hurd, he's already been recon-
mended for the Croix de Guerre."
pronounced Croy day gair.) 1t is
something to have ones captain
speak that way. / saw some line
men stringing wire out in front of our
most advanced position and shells
were dropping into that little valley
quite frequently. They would duck
"ducking" was a part of their job.
Sometimes they would pick up the
reel and start along and sometimes
they wouldn't have time to get onto
their feet before the next one would
come. They never seemed to think
of turning back Their mission was
ahead. They lodged only the nearest
shells.
Now, 1 suppose you wonder what
in the world ''the boy" was doing out
in that place. Well, l had been asked
to look after wounded man who was
reported to be in a little ravine down
that little valley. l will tell you
right now that in all this service l
have not been sightseeing and | do
not go out except in line of duty. And,
too, 1 can dodge CD shells fairly well,
myself, when they get to dropping as
near as the hop-house is to your east
door, especially if they happen to be
of the size our boys call 'soup kitch-
ems"
You have read of some of the re-
suits of our "manoeuver." Well, the
colonel and his staff and almost 700
prisoners were taken in one cave that
opened into that little valley l men,
toned just now. Our infantry show
ed wonderful spirit. 1t is beyond
any description of mine.
Now I hope that this letter will not
have the effect Of making you anxious
about me for l have told you that /
am not careless, and am taking
chances" only in line of duty. (You
can bet that will not help K. Bill by
throwing my life away). On the other
hand l hope you will not respect me
less because / am in non-combatant
service. You know it is lots harder to
stand up and be hit by someone you
can't hit back than it is to give the
other fellow a little better than he
gives you. l seem to be made for the
kind of thing / am doing. / learned
some mighty useful lessons on that
field last week, and you can guess
that if it is my life that is required to
Continued on Page SiX.)