The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-09-18
MOONEY TELLS
Of GREAT WORK
OF OUR YANKS
Hero Of Battle of Catigny Home
on Furlough with an Empty
Sleeve
PRAISES THE RED CROSS
Says Too Much Cannot be Said
of Organizations Working
for Soldiers
PRAISES THE RED CROSS

"fOu can't say anything that's too
good for the Red Cross and the Sal
walton army-they're looking out for
the boys over there every minute" !"
says Private Ben Mooney of old Co. A
of the Fighting First, who. with an
empty sleeve as memento Of the
Yanks' famous victory at Cantigny. is
home from Walter Reed reconstruc-
ton hospital at, Washington on 30
days furlough
A piece of shrapnel got Private
Mooney on May 20, the second day Of
the battle Of Cantigny. I'VE got in
the habit OF Hopping when we heard
a high explosive shell hit. and when
this shrapnel shell bursted ! threw
myself flat said Mooney. telling Of
his iSjury. "A piece of shrapnel
struck my head and was stopped by
my helmet, another piece struck me
in the left arm. leaving it dangling
All Of our first aid men were killed in
this battle. and l walked two miles
and passed three dressing stations be-
fore 7 could find anyone to look after
me. Everybody was doing their best,
but there were fellows who needed at
tention worse than | did and / kept
walking back until found a station
that wasn't SO busy 1t was Ia hours
after | was hit before ] was taken
care Of
They certainly do look out for a
fellow. over there. From the dress
ing station | went on back to a Unit
ed States field hospital and then to a
French hospital. was in seven diff
ferent hospitals before they finally got
me fixed up. Then l left for home,
landing in Boston. July q, with a lot
Of other fellows who had been messed
up. From Boston we went to Wash
ington to Walter Reed hospital There
am studying illustrating One of my
pictures, showing a German plane
which kept flying over our trenches
until we finally got him. is going to
De used by the reconstruction serv-
ice
Private Mooney joined Co. A. of the
Fighting First on August p. 1917.
Prior to that time he had played in
the orchestra led by Robert Bruce, the
Indian musician, and in Laufer's or.
chestra at Leith. He was good vic.
linist in those days. III never finger
a violin again. said Mooney ruefully
surveying the stump Of his left arm,
as he told about the old-times, but
I'm going to make good with this H.
Illustrating game. AS soon as l am in
shape, they'll send me to a vocational
school. They tell me at the hospital
that | have the goods"
"HOw's the grub over there? Well,
any sort of grub is good when you're
in the front line trenches. The boys
are all feeling good. It's tough while
they're in the firing line but there's
so much excitement they forget about
the danger and when they get back to
a rest camp they're just like bunch
of kids on vacation. The old Fighting
irst is all split up All the privates
have been taken out and put into the
line. Our division was one of the first
to see active service, because they re-
garded the western boys, from the Da-
kotas, Montana and Wyoming az fit
to go into the trenches right away.
The First has been back behind the
lines, being filled up with drafted men.
and they are using the 4lst generally
as replacement division. We went
lShl III thCAS oi tuC hJohLuiC anu lOOn
over lines that had been held by the
British. We had three weeks of it on
the Somme front and I'm not ashamed
Of what the boys did there, not by a
long shot.
I'VE took Cantigny on the 2Sth, the
day we made our charge. The Boches
moved out. with us after them. and
then on the 29th had to get mine.
Tisn't so bad as you'd think, tho. My
buddy in this picture (showing a |
postal card taken at Boston) Hannibal
Farwell of Maine. is only IS, and as
you can see he has one leg gone. Well.
after we got to Washington they fixed
him up with an artificial leg, and
,hree days later he was dancing
Private Paddy" Cox of Bismarck
vas wounded at Cantigny. but went
back to his company the day Mooney |
eft for home. Private Carmichael of
Linton. also of Co. A. lost leg at
Cantigny, and is at his home in Linton
IN furlOugh.