The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-11-30
YANKEES NEVER COMPLAIN
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/ AUAhLO NlVhN VVE1A DaAIS
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pitfalls, many OF the men come to see
the pictures in wheel chairs, ana
these wheel chairs are furnished py
the American Red Cross. Two-th thirds
of the audience in these places Will
DO soldiers in their pajamas.
Chaplin Restores Speech.
Last July we had young SOLDIER
suffering from shell shock. 1t had
effected him so that he could not
speak or even laugh. The doctors
had done everything they could TO
make him normal again. One night
when one of the pictures of Charlie
Chaplin was being shown, the young
soldier forgot himself and before he
knew 1t was laughing and talking 70
the soldier at his side. SO Charlie
Chaplin and the American Red Cross
moving pictures gave back to that
boy that which the doctors had been
unable to restore to him.
Three or four times a month en-
tertainers came through on circuit
These entertainers are furnished by
a. joint committee of the American
Red Cross and the 7. M. c. A. These
entertainers play in the hospitals as
g. rule where we do not have moving
pictures.
: ~. In "Evenina Clothes"
Recently we had some 400 men
come into one hospital from the
Saint Mihiel drive. There was hard
iy a man in the audience that had on
any clothes except the pajamas that
ne came to the hospital in. When
the entertainers were introduced to
the boys we called attention to the
fact that the boys were all in their
evening clothes"
The soldiers are enthusiastic over
all of the entertainments. 1t takes
them out of themselves, they forget
their troubles and it does them a
world of good.
Boys and r. c. i
The Red Cross at this center en-
ploy some SO or so convalescent SOL
diers as assistants in helping to care
for the moving picture rooms, for
work in the canteen, in the Libraries,
and reading rooms in the different
hospitals, distributing papers, maya
zines, tobacco and books. The boys
love to do this work and there is al
ways a. long waiting list Of boys
ANXIOUS to be employed. OF course
the personnel changes frequently,
because as the boys get better they
are evacuated out to replacement
camps, convalescent hospitals, and
some Of the bad cases are sent home.
When these boys present them
selves many Of them are on clutches,
arms in sings, heads bound up and
all that. We always ask them If
their wounds will not interfere and
make it hard for them to do the
work. They always answer, mot
BIT my wound does not bother me at
an"
= | have in mind one boy whose arm
was shattered from the elbow to
the hand, and yet he wanted to help
set up and run one of our moving
pictures. He was so badly hurt that
he was finally sent back to the states,
They Don't Complain,
In my experience of three months
among 10000 to 10000 OF these
wounded and gassed soldiers, a few
Of them totally blind, have yet to
hear one single complaint from any
OF them.
In one of our hospitals called the
Head Hospital" we had from so to
100 jaw cases all OF the time, men
whose jaws had been fractured and
partially shot away These SOL
diers' jaws were wired up so that
they could not move them, and the
only food that they could take was
nogg. This does not make what the
nogg. This does not make the doc
doctor calls a balanced ration" The
army regulations do not seem to
provide just what was needed to help
these cases, and here the Red Cross
steps in as an auxiliary to the army
and helps out. The men needed
Il
we have bought quantities of grapes.
These grapes are cooked, the juice
squeezed from them and put into
bottles or jugs unfermented, and
then some of the juice is given to
the boys every day. Before getting
this juice the men were breaking out
with a skin disease, something like
the hives. This the grape-juice has
counter-acted and the men are do
ing fine.
In our recreation hut we have a
good theater where we. can care for
about 500 soldiers at one time. We
encourage the boys to give shows
themselves and TO do stunts"
Among the soldiers you can find men
that can do anything. At one Of our
shows. a week ago, a prominent
American gentleman and his wife
kindly gave some 80 or 40 prizes to
be competed for by the boys and
some 80 or 40 boys competed and
put on a real good show. One boy
did a strong man act. He was SPLEEN
didly built, had been shot through
the right leg, his wound being about
two-thirds healed. He came onto
the stage dressed in a costume that
left his wound visible to the whole
audience. Had it been in America
everybody would have remarked
upon the bandaging and upon the
wound in his leg, but before this
audience of American soldiers,
everyone of whom were suffering
from wounds or gas, they did not
even notice ii. l did not hear one
OF the men speak Of the wound but
only of that which the man did.
Still He Sought Souvenirs.
One day spoke to one Of the men
about souvenirs. He said. 81 have
some.' I said, Where did you get
them?' He told me at Chateau
wounded and lay on the ground wait
ing for the stretcher bearers to
come / had an opportunity to pick
up several very good souvenirs" He
showed them to me and then ask
ed him where he was shot He told
me he had been hit by two ma
chine gun bullets. One had gone
through his right leg and the other
had gone clear through his body,
about three inches above his heart
Think of a man hunting for souven-
lrs shot up in that way.
AS look back over the experience
OF the past three months, remem-
bering the American soldiers that /
have met, it makes me prouder than
ever that I am an American citizen.
With America throwing every ounce
OF her influence into the fight and
In backing UP our soldiers, and with
the Red Cross and all the other
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