Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-08-29

into one of their sentries.
"Qui est az called the sentry.
My officer then gave in his best
American what he had been told was
the French password. This was incom-
prehensible to the Frenl hman, who
Immediately fired his rifle at him.
The officer jumped up and down and
gave the password again. BLAM went
the Frenchmans rifle again. Moth
ing but the fact that the French
man regards the rifle more as
lead squirt rather than weapon of
accuracy prevented him from being
hit, The officer eventual y got through
by shouting repeatedly at the top of
his voice, "Nive Les American"
At the end of the ten days we were
relieved and hiked back veteran
troops, as We thought, to the training
area. Our medical department, not
the department with the troops, but
our higher medical department which
dealt with papers rather than facts,
sent at this time a letter which /
would give lot TO have now simp
as a humorous document. 1t was head
ed General Order -" II had at
the top as subject, "PedicuH,' which
We We're instructed in the body of the
communication that Immediately on
leaving the trenches all men were TO
be inspected completely by the med
ical officer before they were allowed
to go to their bllets. This involved
the inspection by one medical officer
of some 1000 men. 1t Furthermore ne
cessitated that these 1000 men would
bn inc hot
in the morning in the dark. The or
der went on TO say that where pediculi
were present all clothes We're to be
confiscated, finishing with the brief
and band statement that thereupon
new clothes were to be furnished
throughout. This to us, who had not
had new clothes since we reached
France, 10 whom every garment was
valuable possession that could not
be replaced! However, we have no
doubt that the medical officer felt that
he had done something sp endid, and
what is more, his paper record was
perfect in that although what he de-
manded was impossible, he had put it
on paper and therefore someone else
was to blame for not carrying il out
Requirements Arrive.
Early in January we were told that
requirements were arriving to bring
up our companies to $50 in strength
When the men arrived we planned to /
be there on time to get our fair share |
Two old sergeants. Studal and Shuitz, |
went down and helped pick the re-
cruits, working from detachment to |
detachment trying to shift the best !
material into our detail. They were, |
on the whole a fine lot of men, but |
their knowledge of military matters |
was absolutely nil. A large percent
age had never shot any firearms, and |
still a larger percentage had never !
shot the service rifle. One man turn
ed up with a service record on which !
was nothing except Mennonite, objects
to bearing arms" Incidentally he |
made an excellent soldier and was
killed while fighting CALAMITY near
Montdidier. Another man had partial |
paralysis of one side. When the med |
ical officer asked him if he had been
examined before he said mo. sir, just |
drafted" Still another had an arm |
so stiffened that he could hardly beng |
his elbow When the medical officer |
tried to send him to the rear he pro-
tested. We let him stay, He became |
an automatic rifle gunner and was
later killed.
one westerner, from Montana I be- |
lieve called Blayloek, finished the war
as first sergeant. Company d. after
very distinguished record Another |
young fellow, Aug by name, was a real !
estate man from Sacramento. | no. |
ticed him first when he was detailed |
as my orderly. Later he was cited
for gallantTy twice and eventually |
sent to the officers school, where he !
got a commission and asked to be re- |,
turned to the fighting troops. He fell |
in action Just before the ermistice. |
Private Bill" Margis was a Greek |
who came with this lot He was shot
through the chest at Montdidier and
later ran away from the hospital and !
got back before Scissors. He came in !
to report to me. l had been near him
when he had been hit before.
"Margis" / said, you're in no
shape to carry a pack"
mo sir" said he. but l can carry
a rifle all right"
He was killed two or three weeks
later.
Two Cinnamon. Young and Chew, |
drafted from San Francisco were also
in this lot They were with my head
quarters all during the war.
These requirements had absolutely
no conception of military etiquette.
They wanted to do what was right but
they didn't know anything. When
one man from western national
guard Observation-Disclosures he was
a German by birth-came up to me
with a message from his company
commander he would always begin
Say" One time | asked him when
he was born and he told me in 1913,
which impressed me as being a slight
overstatement. Subsequent investiga-
ton proved that 1878 was the year.
incidentally he fought very CALAMITY
and was fortunate enough to get
through the war. being with the regi-
ment when / left 1t in Germany
One huge fellow called Swanson,
from North Dakota. turned uD. Swan
son was fine soldier in every way,
but the government had not figured
on a man of Swanson's size. Never
when he was in my command were
we able to get a blouse to fit him. He
turned out on parade, went to the
trenches and appeared on all other
occasions in a ragged brown sweater.
Interpreter Needed
Some of the men we got could not
speak English one squad In partlcu-
lar we had to form in such fashion
that the corporal could act as in
terpreter. Once turning around a
corner l came upon a group of four
or five soldiers. All of them except
one saluted properly. He merely
grinned in a good-natured, friendly
fashion. l started to read him the
riot act. asking why he thought he
was different from the rest of the
men, what he meant by it. did he put
himself in class by himself, and so
forth. About half way through one