Evening journal., 1919-09-12
FIRST us. WOUNDED
MAN TELLS ABOUT IT
Third Shell He Heard
Caught George Ashburn.
Of Tennessee
SERVED ON BORDER,
THEN WENT OVERSEAS

NEW YORK, sept. i2.-Back in the
fall OF 1916 George Ashburn, Of Clark
Range, Tenn. was digging coal in a
mine. lie was 2i years old and thought
Il was about time he saw something
more OF the world than the dark in
sides Of Il. The Mexican trouble, being
then in one Of iis-frequent stages OF
acuteness, Ashburn decided TO enlist in
the army TO get some border service at
least So on December i6 he Joined
up" and for the next five months did
patrol duty in cactus around Doug
las, Ariz.. and Nogales.
Ashburn had a gun and uniform and
was a regular soldier, all right, ready
for trouble, but none came-just then.
Pretty soon the Kaiser handed the
United states just one more than we
could stand and this country lined up
with the rest 10 make the world ut to
live In again, and Ashburn's outfit, the
Eighteenth Infantry. was made part OF
the First Division and packed Off TO
France.
on October 30 1917, in the Lunevllle
sector a German shell burst near the
Tennesseean and fragment struck him
I'm the jaw. He was the first man in the
American Expedltlonary Force TO be
wounded in action.
Today Private 'nrst-class) Ashburn
sat down sOn a neatly made, khaki
blanketed bunk i'm the barracks OF Com
pany B. Eighteenth Infantry. at Camp
Merritt and chuckled boyishly when he
was asked 10 tell all about 10. He is 81
and likely enough was big for his age
when he was i6. His eyes are grayish
blue. and they look right at you with
youthful candor.
one Of the men from the orderly
room rustled through a bale or so OF
records and brought forth Ashburn's
documentary history, including a GER
tincate IN French from General BOr-
deauX. commanding the Eighteenth IN
faniry Division OF the French Army.
The General had the certificate, a
rather elaborate affair, inscribed TO as
sure Private Ashburn's friends and pos
teTity that he was the first soldier OF
the United states Army who lost blood
upon the soil Of France for the cause
OF right, justice and liberty"
several months later the Croix de
Guerre. with gold star, was awarded to
A5iADAIM ho a tVhtu VI llAI tiutlhuut VI
The French Republic
How did it all hsppen?" the SOL
der was asked.
Well" he started. 1--WE were work
ing on a communication trench in the
Lunevllle sector. ] was one OF a fatigue
detail OF 25 men digging a drain ditch
10 let the water out Of the trench. To
do this we were up on the parapet
where we could easily be spotted by
The Fritzles. Pretty soon a shell came
toward US and burst-now let's see
about 10 0yards away. Il was the first
German shell had ever heard, because
that was my first day in the trenches.
We did not pay much attention 10
g. Of course, It made loud noise, but
50 did not seem particularly dangerous.
But a few minutes later another shell
burst-this time only about 90 yards
away.
. "As the ferries seemed 70 be getting
fhe range. the sergeant in charge Of the
detail said. I guess we'd better get
down yonder in the trench and we
started 10 follow his order. I was get
ting into the trench when one Of the
fellows yelled he had forgotten his gun
and ! went back for 10. Just then the
third shell landed and exploded and ]
was hit in the jaw with a piece Of it
Il was dazed. but l remember that
Corporal Jensen, now a sergeant, gave
me first aid and l also remember that
the boys around me showed in their