The Colorado statesman. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1895-1961, 1919-03-29
MAJOR sIBERT SEARCHING FOR
CERTAIN sTRETcHER BEARER
OF 3osTH INFANTRY.
STORY OF DESPERATE EXPLOIT
Flame and Gas OFFICER With Two VOL
unteers Had Exciting Experience
Back Of Enemy Lines-Gallant Deed
Of Unnamed Man.
By EDWARD q. CLARK.

United States, or In france, Is SOL
dier, name unknown, who If he can be
found wll learn that he has been or
Is to be recommended for distin-
guished service medal for high conduct
In face of the enemy.
This unknown soldier In late Sep
TENDER last was acting as a stretcher
bearer in Company X of the Three
Hundred and Eighth United States in
fantry, which was part of the Seven
ty-seventh United States division.
In Washington today a major of the
army, William o. Sibert of the gas
and flame service. is doing what he
can to find out who this hero was in
order that his name can be put into
the proper place on the recommends
ton for u medal.
Major Sibert went to France with
the writer hereof. The major had
great luck. Almost Immediately he
got into the thick of the fight, but later
his luck was not so great, for after
hard and heroic exploit he contracted
double pneumonia and was invalided
back to the United States with fine
record in the field to his credit. Today
Sibert is entirely recovered and 1t Is
his desire to endeavor to locate the
man who on an occasion in the Ar
gonne forest showed himself to be
such a gallant American.
Got Behind the German Lines.
On September &c last Major Sibert,
who was the division gas officer of
the Seventy-seventh division, went out
to the last post at the front and from
there undertook, with three men who
had volunteered for the service, to To-
cate certain position. They went
over the top and worked their way as
well as they could through all kinds of
entanglements, artificial and natural.
One of Sibert's men became lost, but
later found his way to detachment of
engineers. The major and his two re-
manning volunteers then struck out
straight north.
Before long, to their surprise, they
realized that they were well behind the
German lines. Instantly three Ger
mans appeared round Il corner of a
knoll, an officer and two men. They
never will appear on earth again. The
Americans ull
The Americans then endeavored to
make their way back toward their
own lines and on the way they picked
up more German prisoners. Later
they gathered in others, for almost in
every instance the Americans succeed
ed in getting the drop on the surprised
enemy, although before that days
journey was ended the detachment had
several severe fights and several close
shave escapes.
Finally the little outfit ran into an
American engineer platoon that also
had got behind the German lines
through some error of direction. The
now enlarged detachment was making
it's way up a hill toward the place
where it was thought French outfit
was stationed. 1t was opened on with
heavy fire. The men broke for some
dugouts, losing several in dead and
wounded.
One of Sibert's original volunteers
had hole in the side of his head and
died an hour afterward. Several of
the German prisoners were killed by
the fire of their own people.
Gallant Deed Of the Unknown Man.
Major Sibert called for two volun-
teers to crawl through to the Ameri-
can lines so that word could be passed
to the artillery to get busy on a cerI
tain German battery, and also to in
form the Americans of the exact posi-
ton of the little lost contingent.
One of the men who volunteered
- H.
who had volunteered In the first in
stance to go with Major Sibert on his
perilous errand. AS will be remem-
bered, one of these three original vol
unteers got lost on the way and an
other was killed. This third man
made his way through terrific fire back
to the American lines and performed
successfully his perilous errand.
1t Is for this man, name unknown,
Major Sibert just now is searching.
He wants him to get his decoration.
Eventually his name probably will be
made known and If alive he may get
the medal that he deserves, and If
dead his parents may be given 1t In his
place.
Army of Ball Players and Fans
A general officer of the American ex-
peditionary forces spoke one day of
our combined units in France as IAN
army of baseball players"
The general was not far from right.
1t is probable that every man in our
forces on the other side at some time
or other in his life had played the
great national game. 1t also is prob
able that at least three-fourths of the
men in the service overseas, and on
this side, too, for that matter, regular
ly had given over their Saturday after
moons and their other times of release