The sun., 1918-08-24
CORPORAL M'KINNEY
WINS VALOR CROSS
Son Of Police Captain Braved
Barrage to Deliver
Message.
COMRADES TELL STORY
Member of 165th Crossed
Ourcq Amid Hail Of Ger
man Shrapnel.
COMRADES TELL STORY

Police Capt Charles H Mckinney d
the West Forty-seventh street station
received word yesterday that his son.
Corporal Joseph Paxton Mckinney Of
Company A. 165th Infantry. IL to receive
the Distinguished Service Cross for hero
ism in the. battle Of the ouroq.
/. The incident for which Corporal Nc
Kinney Is to be decorated took place
July 20. after Companies A and G OF
the 1s5th. supported by Companies B
and d. had forged their way across the
shrapnel spattered Ourcq--or the
ORourke. as Il has been dubbed by the
members Of the old Sixty-ninth-and
had established foothold on the north
bank.
runner bearing an important mes
sage from the officer In charge OF the
attacking party to the commander OF the
division was about to start back across
the river when he fell dead near Nc
Kinney. The latter had seen the rum
ner receive the message and realised that
Its immediate delivery was essential.
Without stopping fer orders. he sprang
to the dead mans side. seized the des-
patch and plunged back into the stream.
In the meantime the German gunners
had let loose a heavy barrage to pre-
vent any possible retreat on the part OF
the attacking companies and through
this the corporal waded, with the shrap-
mel kicking up white caps all about him.
Part way over. Mckinney turned. waved
his hand reassuringiy and shouted to
some Of his company mates who were
watching him run deaths gantlet, "Tll
deliver II all right" On the south shore
OF the stream he again turned. gave an
other triumphant wave and made for
the American lines at top speed.
corporal Mckinney will be 81 years
CID next September. He enlisted in the
Seventh Regiment in August 1917. when
he was still a student in Poly Prep in
Brooklyn. He volunteered for service
In the 1e5th when that unit was formed
through an amalgamation Of some OF
the members of the Seventh and the
old Sixty-ninth. and won his chew
rons in France. He Is the oldest
son of the oldest son for six gen.
erations back and his ancestors have
fought In every war the United States
has passed throuBh, from tne HeVoiu-
ton down to the Spanish American war.
When this country declared war on
Spain his father wanted to enlist but
was refused the necessary permission by
the Police Department so the Corporars
uncle, Jesse p. Mckinney. upheld tho
family tradition in that conflict.
In his school days Mckinney was a
crack athlete. He was a member OF the
Poly Prep tennis team which won the
championship In 1917.
The story Of the corporals exploit
reached Capt. Mckinney yesterday
through Top Sergeants Eugene p. Halpin
and Joseph A. Higginson. who recently
returned to this country with eleven
other non-coms from the 165th to act as
instructors and drill masters In canton
ments here in the prospect Of winning
commissions.
Yesterday afternoon the two sergeants
visited Capt. Mckinney at the West
Forty-seventh street station and told
him that his son was not only hero but
very able bodied hero at that, having
come through every battle the 165th
fought without scratch.