The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-09-19
OFFICERS GIVE
MEN ALL CREDIT
A CHICAGO CAPTAIN TELLS IN
DETAIL WHAT MEN THINK
OF THE WAR
ALWAYS READY TO WORK THE HARDEST
Men Are Cared For BY Their Officers
And Helped In All Possible Ways
To Keep Them In Line

July 16, 191S.-Dear Friends: To
night | went into a store to see #
the papers were in and found a num-
Der of men crowded into the small
place making purchases of various
kinds.
Are o the papers in yet" l
asked.
Not yet sir" was the reply from
a soldier.
The Boche drive is on again, |
wanted to see what gains they have
made
I'VE are waiting for that too, sir"
How would you like to move up
there"
I'VE want to CO. was the chorus
reply.
Maybe you will have a chance be
fore long"
That's the stuff. That's what we
are here for. We want the heaviest
of the lighting
That's the spirit of the American
soldier here today. That chorus of re-
plies came from men whom | gave as
sever a talking to this morning as
| eve gave to a body of soldiers. 1t
was not a talk that related to hero
ism or battle, but a talk of criticism.
1t was a talk given in the woods, for
here all your drill must be held in
the woods where air planes, balloon
observers or artillery observers can
not observe you More than that
the talk was rehearsed in the woods
before the company arrived. | have
often ripped officers and men to
pieces, but | have never rehearsed a
speech before that was to be given to
men. 1t related more to drink than
ii did to anything else. There was
only one company | had had trouble
with in that respect. ! saw tears n
the eyes Of some before / finished and
| think | have won them. Those are
the men who tonight want to leave
for the big front; who want to take
part in the counter attack which is
bound to take place some day. Every
one realizes that someone will be
killed; that all ann escape but
there is a feeling in this game-it
must be that way-that each man has
that he will be the one to escape. |
have seen wounded men being car
ried away. | have helped pick up
dead men, but only a few minutes be-
fore those men were of that opinion
that they would escape.
After all the vast majority do es-
cape. so why should the individual
think he is the one to be plucked. If
the people at home did not worry over
the danger more than the man at the
front does, there would not be much
worrying. Today | read Cobb's ar
ticle in the Saturday Evening Post Of
an old edition which | received a few
days ago in which he tells of a sol
der in the Rainbow division sitting
in the front trench reading and call
ing to his pal about New York going
to buy Cobb from the Tigers. He
may have made up that particular par
agraph, probably he did, but never
theless he pictured the condition as 1t
is. That is the amount the soldier
in the front line worries. True, he
may be-he is-somewhat nervous
when a raid is being made on his sec
tor. especially if he is green. But
that does not last. He will sit in the
front line, smoke a cigarette and read
any paper, no matter how old, that
he gets, but that paper will not be
read until his letters are gone over
several times. | have seen men go
ing over their letters-for ! don't
know what time for the mail was old
Continued on Page Column Al
Wv. S. S.-