The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1918-11-14
The Story the Citations Tell.

The following article is taken from
the Stars and Stripes, the soldiers
paper in France, and was sent home by
Lawrence Polly to his father, because
the hero, Carl Dasch, is an old boy
hood friend of Lawrence's and his
home is at Payette:
Perhaps the story told most fire.
quently in the citations accompanying
the award the of Distinguished Ser
vice Cross is the. story of utter I'M
selfishness, of single-hearted devotion
to the dangerous task of ministering,
under enemy fire, to the wants and
needs of others. This principle of
utter unselfishness, of utter self-for-
getfulness in the ardor of helping the
other fellow to come through, NAV
rightly be said to be at the bottom of
every act for which the coveted de-
coration is awarded.
Take, for example, the case of Pri-
vate Carl w. Dasch, of the Headquar-
tiers Company of certain Infantry
regiment, who won his Cross for ex-
traordinary heroism in action north
east of Chateau-T hierry. Of him the
citation says:
During the entire period &c July to
l August, 1918, he carried messages
between the firing line and battalion
headquarters through heavy enemy
shell-fire. On returning from the fir
ing line he would pick up a severely
wounded man each time and carry him |
through the barrage to a first aid |
station. He finally became SO ex-
hausted he could not continue his |
work, yet he had to be ordered to re-
port to the aid station for treatment. |
During the whole series of engage
ments he did not sleep, and taxed his
endurance to the utmost at |
all times, setting to his comrades an
example of utter disregard of danger
and of exceptional devotion to duty.
Private Dasch might we'll have argu-
ed to himself that he was performing
highly important and dangerous duty
in carrying his messages back thru
the enemy barrage, and that it would.
be folly to try to saddle himself with
a heavy wounded man, unable to help
himself, on each trip. He might we'll
have argued that it was the better part
Of valor to save his strength for the
work he had to do, that he would be
serving the cause better by conserv-
ing his health, by snatching little
rest when he could.
But Private Dasch let none of those
weigh with him. His
mates were in need, and he gave them S
Ill that was in him until he could give
10 more. Even then he struggled
against the inevitable; and perhaps
he clause in his citation that best de-
cribes what manner of man he was is:
Yet he had to be ordered to report to
he aid station for treatment"
Take another example, that of End
Lieut.. Elmer 7. DOGGY. Infantry,
awarded his Cross for repeated acts
If extraordinary heroism in action
rear Suippes, northeast of Chalons-
sur Marine, on the 18th and 10Th of
July, and near Sergy, northeast of
Jhateau-Thierry, on the 28th, 30th and
list of July. The citation says of him
After being severely wounded, with
liter disregard of his own safety and
omfort, he remained on duty with his
'latoon under heavy fire of gas and
Ugh explosive shells. Again, on Hill
~, near Sergy, he led his platoon and
hat of another wounded officer for
yard into machine gun nest under
eavy fire, capturing four prisoners