The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-11-21
Sergt. Modie Tells
Of Army Drive

O1 Army Drive
Mrs. Sam Bash Of 524 Pike avenue
is in receipt of the following interest
ing letter from her brother, Sergt.
Jesse F. Mode. with the American ex-
peditionary forces in France. in which
he describes some Of his experiences
In the fighting lines ON the Western
front. Sefet. Modie has been in the
overseas service OF the army for the
last seven or eight months. He says:
At the Front. Sept %. 1918
have tried to find time for the past
three days to write to you. but it was
impossible. We have been kept so
busy. but to night l am stealing a
part of my rest time to write to you.
for / know how anxious you are TO
hear from me.
l am perfectly all right. The
scratch I received on my leg from the
bursting OF the shell has entirely
healed. neser1sven noticed it after
the first hour or so. The next day I
suffered from shell shock and was so
nervous for three days. l jumped at
every sharp sound. but am all right
now: don't feel it bit.
| will try to tell you or the most ter
rible experience | ever had, and one
that few men experience and come
through it all right. 1t was terrible
and don't blame any man for being
afraid. for saw strong men go to
pieces from the shock. 1t was the
and we had been at the front continu.
ally under fire from the very first This
evening we had finished our work and
were worn out and were on the road
mainder of the night and the next day.
During the night the d-m Boche had
been unusually active with his artil.
lery and had kept up continual IRE
OF schrapnel and high explosives and
gas shells Every moment shell
burst somewhere near us for more
than four hours. but we escaped un-
scathed until we were about mile
from where we had been at work.
when suddenly we heard the whine o:
a shell coming. II sounded just like
the wind whistIing on cold winter
night. We couldn't escape It. Be-
fore we could leave the road II struck
20 feet in front OF us. and 1t was gas.
II knocked me to my knees, and whi e
in that position put on my gas mask
The captain gave the command for
ward" We advanced about 10 steps
when we heard the next shell come
whistling through the air. II strpck
the road less than six feet in front OF
me II was six-inch high explosive.
The explosion whiried me around.
ripped my rain coat of me blew M.
gas mask of my face. but still held
the mouthpiece in my teeth and con-
tinued breathing through the respira-
tor. and got no gas at all. was
knocked Hat on my face. II was a ter
rible sensation. A piece of shell went
through my breeches and drawers. and
Just scratched the hide about like a
pin would scratch. | have seen pic.
lures of battles with a shell exp'oiing
in tie midst of a column of men. and
impression l received was a reproduc-
tion of such picture. The moon
was shining bright, il was at the full.
and everything was plainly visible. !
head man groan close 10 me. |
asked him II he was hit very bad and
he said he was. helped him to
wounded men TO the bitches and for
the others to scatter, for knew there
would be more shells coming. ! saw
the captains horse down the road and
was going for an ambulance. When
reached the horse | saw he had been
shot through the neck. and the chances
were sum of getting very far on him
from one side. but from the other Il
was not so bad. | mounted him ard
with my hands pressed over the
wounds on either side OF his neck I SCI
out for the ambulance | managed 10
stop the bleeding enough SO that
made two miles on the noble animal
before he Stage. ed and fell with me.
The other half mile made on fout
got three ambnlances and went back
after the men. cant tell you who
they were nor how many until their