Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-29
CHAPTER II
on for France

WE were boiling over with the fight spir,'
w as we slid over the rails toward the
east coast ...
The weeks of training in the dry. bracns
air of Arizona had steel-plated our const,
tions and lifted our morale to the tWentie'n
story. Every fiber of our bodies ached ior
a try at the Hun; we felt then that our
regiment. unaided was capable OF turning
the tide against the boche. .'. ..
We gave our pals husky blows across the
back and told what we were going 10 10
when we bored our way into Berlin ...
when I get to Berlin town. said giant
artilleryman from Montana, I'm going 10
drop everything else and put in my time
hunting for the Kaiser. Remember now ne
my meat; I'm going to settle with that
bloody old boy, and don't want any inter-
ference"
you've got no monopoly on this Kaiser
KILN job" retorted a gunner from Kansas
you've got to walk fast If you beat TINS
buddy out locking for his royal highness the
chief butcherer of Berlin"
This sort of talk may sound foolish, but
IL sho we'd the excellence of our spirits. we
were ready for anything-the rougher the
better. believe We were about as reckless
an outfit of artillery roustabouts as ever
moved toward battlefront.
The trip overland was one continuous oVa-
| ton from Douglas to the Atlantic port where
| we embarked At every stop. even at the
tank stations, enthusiastic Yankees pu'ieu
the hero stunt on us. flowing into our trains
pastry Everybody wished us godspeed III
| our mission against the Hun. All this. OF
course lifted our war spirit several more
notches. .'.,-
| At O'Clock one morning we piled on our
| trains in an Atlantic port. and marched on
| to a transport The ship pulled down the
| channel ana anchored. ...
| We remained there for two days. and they
were blamed tiresome days We couldnt
see any sense in this delay at getting.
| whack at the Hun I growled with the pest
of them for the boche hate had taken
| heavy grip on me. In me was a deep-sea,eu
feeling that I would not be content until !
| had planted both feet on French SOIL
| suppose some of my buddies would say that
| II was destiny pulling me on to fire the first
gun for liberty. I'll confess that did nave
a feeling l was needed on the other side to
help start the ball a-rolling for Uncle Sam
of at Last
Every mothers son of our lusty crew OF
boche haters gave an ear-ringins yen OF yos
when at sunset on the second day. the trans.
port weighed anchor and steamed slowly out
of the harbor. ..-
| OFF to the feht-country; II seemed almost
too bully good to be true. felt IKE k'ekins
myself to see II 1t wasn't all dream from
which I would soon awaken and find myself
in that rather dull prep school In Los
Angeles.
Most of us were a trife glum as We saw
the coastline of Yankecdom fade away In
the violet mists of evening. but not long
did we hearties NOPE out of the east stin
salty breezes brought to US smell OF @ ad-
venture that lacked up our spirHs IKE
| drafts of sparkling wine.
Here at last, thought, I am ahoat in the
sea of mystery and danger-the sea which
for three years had been the theatre OF
events which had vibrated the world.
| Hundreds of miles to the eastward. knew
that destroyers pro~led about on the alert
for the treacherous submarine, while cruiser
and batteship fleets patrolled wide. watery
areas eff cctually bottling up the battle
squadrons of the Kaiser.
was supremely content as ! hung over
the rail and watched the foam churn over
the bow. About mile ahead, United
states cruiser of the latest model rode the
seas majestically, while on our hanks Yankee
destroyers saucily plowed the waves. .
Uncle Sam is on the job" said enthusi-
| asticaly to my buddy, Sergeant Pasquale
Atillo. a young, intelligent New York Italian.
| one of the best artillerymen in the battery.
You can bet your bottom dollar Uncle
Sam is on the job. Reddy," he replied, Mr..
| Submarine has about as much chance of
poking In our game as Jersey MOSQUITO
| has of drilling through one of the steel plates
| of this transport"
| was mighty lucky to have the sergeant
| for my buddy, for, aside from being one Of
the best chaps that ever rode an artillery
caisson, he was competent man, and 1t was
| largely through his instruction that~I was
promoted to corporal after the regiment
landed In France. ,.
| Our New Americans
This war has opened my eyes to the fact
that the sons of immigrants have the
makings of absolutely top-notch Americans
This is being demonstrated every day on
| the western battlefront in Europe. where
they fighting and dying in the cause OF
| Liberty. And before this is are
| going to take off our hats many times to the
| lads who, in ante-beum days. rather
contemptuousy classed as foreigners. -.
Believe me, they are proving themselves
! Yanks of the first water, every one of them
Some of them are wabbly in their English
| but they backing up the spirit of Wash.
: ington and Lafayette just as II their ances-
tors had played heavy parts in the Amer.
lean Revolution. When we have the Kaiser