Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-02-22
DESERFION LAID
TOMANY CAUSES
Some Soldiers, Take French
Leave" Through COwardice,
others From Lack of Moral
Support Mt Home.

diers away from Camp Lee without
leave. They are tyled as "deserters'
on the army records. The penalty fo,
desertion, in time of war, is death
A lesser punishment, but n very Sc
we're one, is imposed by the author
tiles in our camps in the United
States. A private, Lee r. McCreery
of Camp Lee, has recently been tried
before court martial and sentenced
to twenty years in federal peni-
tentiary and dishonorubly discharged
with all pay forfeited. He was caught
i'll Texas, wearing the uniform of II
captain.
Brigadier General Brett has issued
ringing address of warning to the
soldiers on the disgrace MS we'll as
danger connected with desertion, as
well as its demoralizing effect upon
the camps. and the, serious results in
time of war. General Brett says that
the government will spare no ex-
pense in bringing these deserters to
justice. They are felons. he says, and
Il felon who attempts to escape or
resists arrest, may be shot. All cit
izcns are urged to- assist in the mp
prehension and return of these de-
serters to camp. Parents and friends
are urged to do what they can to in-
duce these men, to return voluntarily
without arrest
Why Soldiers Desert.
The question is often asked, why
do soldiers desert? Why do such u
penalty incurred and the certainty of
capture? Thcreare different reasons
why. General Brett says that most
descrters are towards. They seem con-
stitutionally incapable of facing dam
ger and death. Numerous cases of
men were known in the civil war.
who are unnerved and scared to
death" in going into battle, and to
resort to any subterfuge to escape.
Some men played off" sick, others
would fall as if shot and thus escape
the battle.
But not all desertions are due to
cowardice. There are other causes.
Homcsickness is one. A young mnn,
leaving his home perhaps for the first
time, can't stand the separation from
his mother and homefolks. The desire
to go home "eats" him, gnaws and
tugs ut him, md unable to bear it
longer, if he cannot get a fllrlough,
"steals off," and "beats. .it' back home.
He is just homesick. That's ALL After
seeing the folks Mt homo he is will
ing to try it again. Students ut col
lege have been overcome by this same
strong force.
Sometimes it is girl that lures,
with syren voice and irresistable
charm, the boy from camp. She writes
that she is Gust dying to see him."
Somebody perhaps hints that some
other fellow is cavorting and gal
lanting around the fair one at the old
home church every Sunday and per-
haps during the week nights. That
fixes the soldier. There is only one
girl, of course. and he'd rather die
than lose her. Just one more visit,
and he'd be willing to face n firing
squad. And 80 he "stealsh off" and
beats it back to see home to see the
only girl in the world in defiance of
military regulations. "Dang the ar-
my, the Germans and the whole out
fit" he says. ~ want to see her and
Pm gone"
The hardships and privations, the
strict discipline and camp life gen.
orally appall and overcome some men
at first. This class are generally lazy
or stubborn. Accustomed to do as they
blame please at home, to work or not
work rs they chose, they, too, vainly
think to escape military duty, and
beat it.
Sometimes, no doubt, n desire to
see "wife and the kid" causes men
to "absent themselves without leave"
This is n strong pull. The soldiers in
camp, even among forty thousand 9th
ers, gets lonesome and longs to see
his wife and the baby, and he knows
they want to see him. This class COM
nit an "unsoldierly offence" by walk
ing out without leave, and generally
return voluntarily. And, so. various
reasons may be assigned for deser-
tion.
There is another prolific cause of
this discomfort among the soldiers in
camp, which often leads finally to
desertion. / asked man in camp,
who had been detailed to arrest and
bring back deserters the question:
"Why on earth do men do the fool
thing to desert?" Among other caus-
es, he said he thought the chief
cause in many cases, was the lack
of interest taken in the boy by the
folks back home. Failure to write Of
ten, neglect to send those little me-
mentos of kindness and thoughtful
ness, when other boys all around him
perhaps in his own tent, were receiv-
ing them "killed the spirit" of the
boy. He becomes sour against condi-
tions and against everybody. Discon-
tent leads to desertion. A desire ir-
resistable to get away---somewhere---
anywhere, pounces down upon him,
and he, too, beats it. When the boy
was drafted he did not know the
meaning of the word patriotism"
He didn't know what the war was all
about. Perhaps his own folks knew
no more than he, and gave him little
encouragement. A recruit at the sta
tion where he embarked was heard to
say, "Well, 1 don't care where go
or what becomes of me. Nobody cares
a d. for me anyhow" That boy will
finally make q good soldier, perhaps,
but the temptation to desert will pull
at him unless the folks back home
"stiffen his backbone" as we say. If
the fires burn low on the altars Of
L