Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-11-06

which I had won at the Dardanelles.
The presentation was made by Lieu
tenant Barley. He pinned an Ameri-
can flag on my breast, French flag
beneath it and beneath that the war
cross. He kissed me on both cheeks,
of course, which was taking advantage
Of cripple. But it is the usual thing
with the French, as you know-I mean
the kissing, not the meanness to
cripples.
When he had pinned the medal on
he said he thanked me from the bot
tom of his heart for the French people,
and also thanked Ill the Americans
who had come over from their own
land to help country with which
most Of them were not connected. He
said it was war in which many ma
tons were taking part, but in which
there we're just two ideas, freedom
and despotism, and a lot more things
that l cannot remember. He finished
by saying that he wished he could dec
crate all Of us.
OF course it was great stuff for me
and I thought I was the real thing
sure enough, but I could not help
thinking Of the remark I have heard
here in the States-"I thank you and
the whole family thanks YOU" And it
was hard not to laugh. Also it seemed
funny to me, because did not rightly
know just what they were giving me
the medal fOr-thOugh it was for one
Of two things-and I do not know to
this day. But l thought it would not
be polite to ask, so let it go at that
There were twelve other naval off,
GERS who were present and they and
all the other people did lot of cheer
Ing and vived me to fare-you-well.
1t was great stuff, altogether, and l
should have liked to get medal every
day.
One day I received a letter from
man who had been In my company in
the Foreign Legion and with whom l
had been pretty chummy. His letter
was partly in French and partly in
English. 1t was all about who had
been killed and who had been wound
ed. He also mentioned Murray's
death, which he had heard about, and
about my receiving the Croix de
Guerre. was wishing he had said
something about Brown, whom I had
not heard from and who knew would
| visit me if he had the chance.
But two or three days later I got
another letter from the same man and
when opened 1t out tumbled a photo
graph. At first all saw was that it
was the photograph of man crucifed
with bayonets, but when I looked at
it closely I saw it was Brown. I
tainted then, just like girl.
When came to could hardly make
myself think about it. Two Of my
pals gonel It hurt me so much to
think Of it that I crushed the letter
up in my hand. but later on I could
read parts Of It. It said they had
found Brown this way near Dixmude
about two days after he had been re-
ported missing. So three of US went
over and two stayed there. It seems
very strange to me that both Of my
pals should be crucifled and If I were
superstitious I do not know what ]
would think about 1t. It made me
sick and kept me from recovering as
fast as would have done otherwise
Both Brown and Murray were good
pals and very good men in a fight
I often think Of them both and about
the things we did together, but lately
have tried not to think about them
much because 1t Is very sad to think
what torture they must have had Il
stand. They were both of great credit
to this country.
The American consul Waited ~