Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-12-27
NOxubee's First Wounded Soldier
Returns Home.

NOHPOEai james turner, son OF MI
L. I. Turner, living near Nashua
vile, and the first soldier from thi,
county to go overseas, reached Ma
con last Sunday morning from Base
Hospital No. 6, Fort Mcpherson, Ga.
and has furlough of Is days for the
Christmas holidays. Cpl. Turner has
seen more, actual service than proba.
bly, any other Noxubee doy, he hav.
ing gone over with Pershing's first
$4,000 in June, 1917, in the 2sth in
fantry, 1st Division, regulars. Altho
his boat was barely missed by two
torpedoes and the gun crews had
some work when about 800 miles of
the French coast, his division landed
without mishap. and being the first
Americans to rach France, they were
sent nearly all over the country, pa
rading in the principal cities, that the
French might see that the Americans
were really there. Finally they
went into the trenches in the Toul
sector>in October, 1917, where, as will
be remembered, the Americans first
entered the line as unit in charge of
a sector of the trenches.
| Corporal Turner gives fine des-
cription of life in the trenches during
the. winter of 1917, in the rain, sleet
and snow, and how the boys stood
there for days at time without any,
thing to warm them except The exer-
else they got in bailing water and mud
out Of the trenches. His division
was sent to the Somme front after
the great German drive in March of
this year, and he was stationed near
Montdidier, where they saw some
hot fighting in checking the Germans,
and finally participated in the first
all American attack at Catigny on
May 28th. It causes one to swell
with pride to hear Cpl. Turner tell Of
how the boys conducted themselves
in this battle and defeated the, nine
determined counter attacks the Ger
mans launched against them. His di-
vision remained on this section until
the night of July 18th, when they
were loaded onto trucks and carried
back some Is or 20 miles behind Paris
where they were unloaded about 4 D.
m. The boys thought they had been
carried there sor,- "a, rest and to meet
the paymaster, whom they had not
seen in three months, and were be-
ginning to shave up bit in anticipa-
tion of hike to Paris after they had
been paid off, when they were noti-
fled to be ready to move in fifteen
minutes They took to the trucks
again and after travelling all that
night and the next day, arrived on
the night of July 18th in the posi-
tion assigned them near Scissors.
The world knows now what those
American and French divisions did
the next morning, July 18th, at the
meek" of the salient between Sois-
sons and Chateau Thierry. Corporal
Turnr was lucky on the first day, but
on the second, while advancing
through wheat field, was struck
above the right knee with an explo-
sive machine gun bullet, which pro-
duced a painful and ugly wound, and
set his clothing on fire. After put
ting out the flames and applying
first-aid to his wounds as best he
could, Corporal Turner lay where he
fell four days and nights before he
was carried to the hospital. He was
so weak from loss of blood that he |
could not crawl or walk,and besides, |
the explosive force of the bullet had |
so torn the muscles and nerves in his |
leg as to cause paralysis below the |
injury, which condition has not yet |
cleared up, and for which he is now
being treated. While lying on the
field wounded Cpl. Turner had no
nourishment and nothing to drink ex-
cept little cold coffee from his can
teen, and the first relief to reach him |
was some members of the Red Cross,
who gave him water and chocolate.
He is strong in his praise of the war
relief organizations, especially the
Red Cross, Salvation Army and
Knights of Columbus.
Corporal Turner is keen observer
and has an excellent memory, and his
descriptions of France and her people,
the war and its machines, the German
and the American construction work
and army are interesting indeed.
He sailed from France on the 18th
If December, on the George Wash
ngton, and landed in New York on
18th, where he, with about 400 other
wounded soldiers, were given q re-
,eption eclipsing in enthusiasm and
patriotism anything he has seen since
eaving the States.
Corporal Turner had the unique ex-