The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-10-02
On Night Patrol.

On Night Patrol.
Here's what IL was. Up In the
first line the Heinies were just about
fifty yards away. One night the or
der came for a patrol. Now, it's hard
to tell you about a patrol standing
here I'm the boulevard. Out there it's
as black as the inside of your shoe.
It's into that that a patrol Is sup
posed to 60. And we went. Sure /
was scared. Scared green. l didn't
know where I was, and l had the lives
of 60 men In the hollow of my hand.
But we went. We laid for IA hours
right up against the German wire and
we located every machine gun they
had, and every man jack of us got
back to our own lines safely.
"My Godi it was different from
New York. 1t was a lot different from
Paris. 1t was hell. But when the
Heinies came over the next day we
knew where they were coming from.
And we sloshed them.
'That country is full of spies and
our wires from the front line back
were cut. So / went back myself.
They'd laid down the best box bar
rage I have ever seen. Oh, / got
through 1t, because I was lucky, j sup
pose. / got through 1t three times
that night. In fact. And me, never out
after one o'clock In my life before *
cept in a taxicab. Say, 1t was fierce.
Right out I'm the open country. All ]
had to tell me where I was were the
telephone wires. And they were cut.
/ was almost sick to my stomach when
/ hit the break In that friendly little
black wire I'd kept running through
my hand. But we did get word
through. And all the Germans got by
way Of prisoners were II cripples that
had been sent up to the front line by
mistake.
"And, say, I feel they're going to get
me. I've got my second lieutenancy
and I'm going back up to the front In
a few days, as soon as this celebration
is over. And I have a bunch that I
won't come back.
Avg kOt q III SASlCA Akid u dNuA
father that I'd like to go back to, but
there's something bigger than that.
I'm wearing the uniform, I am. 1t
don't make a bit of difference if / die,
because there are four, five, as many
millions as you want, more. Only
when l do die I'm going TO take at
least five Heinies with me. And I'm
going to handle the sixty or seventy
or the hundred and twenty men IN
der me SO they'll do the anne.
Allies Are Fine Soldiers.
"Sure. i get awful impatient with
the French sometimes because they
don't understand our language. And
the British sometimes rub me the
wrong way. I've had fist fights with
'em both-before / got to be an Off
Ger. But they're all in the same game
and you a tell the folks back home
that they're damned good soldiers,
those British and French, every n Of
them. Only we're going to go them
n better-particularly the-platoon
Of the 49, company of the -th.
Youm hear from us. Only IL you're
dropping a line to the folks / know
just tell them that you saw me-in
Paris celebrating. and ON the way to
the front, where / don't expect ever
to come back from. Good-by. old man;
good luck !"
And he strobe across the street and
disappeared. His job ahead of him
to do. full knowledge of the cost OF
that Job, and proud to pay the price
demanded-even to the ultimate. He's
the platoon leader, the U. s. A. pla-
d leader fhafsa 10inu To win fhfa