Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-04-16
COL. MOOREHEAD
IN FINE LECTURE
Large Audience Hears Noted
Surgeon on War Experiences
g.. in France

Impressions of the great world
struggle, now that it has ended and
opportunity for reflection has been af-
forded to those who took active part
In the colossal carnage of four and a
quarter years, from the viewpoint OF
a surgeon, might be numbered as
three, in h opinion of Colonel John
j. Moorehead a surgeon in the Ameri-
a army, who delivered an inspiring
n intensely interesting lecture on
war experiences last night before a
crowded house in the Presbyterian
church.
First, a surgeon does not learn
much professionally, because of the
unsettled situation, but a person does
receive a ~revaluation as to the relative
place in which to put people.
Second, is the wonderful sense of
contentment with the ordinary things
: tina are afforded people in America.
Third, the lifelong and wonderful
comradeships arising from the ev-
igencies of the war. and people WHO
were thought small proved to be a
group of great individuals, and in
that group were included the women
who did such invaluable work in the
hospitals and Red Cross units.
DR.. William f. Ramsay, a friend of
Colonel Moorehead's, presided at the
meeting. Z He introduced the Colonel
with the following praise worthy re-
marks, IAN American an ono to his
country, a tried and true a
benefit to science, n a physician who
lives up to the highest ideals in the
profession"
With Hospital Unit.
Colonel Moorehead related his ex-
periences from the time he with a
hospital unit embarked for France on
the Finland until he returned to the
shores of the United States about
February l.. His ship fought SUBJ
marines for an hour and a half when
within sight of the French coast and
they were saved by the appearance of
three seaplanes which drove off the
undersea craft. The first night that
they were in the front lines near Gem
in Desdames in October 1917, boche
avions boombed the hospital, but did
not score any direct hits.
Colonel Moorehead was loud in his
praise of the American nurses who
he declared, were actually fought for
by h Frenc surgeons who valued
their services more highly than that
of their own nurses.
He declared that in all his expert
ences with soldiers of all nationalities
engaged in the war that he was only
called on twice to give a hypodermic
for the relief of pain, thus indicating
to him that they possessed an en-
wv LASll " " ~ WIN
gave h soldiers the courage to do
their duty on the battlefields and to
fight their battles when bedridden in
the hospitals.
Lauds Harold Clark
While working on the French front
during the battle of Chemin des
DANES they were ordered to e~vacuate
the hospital as the Germans were ap-
preaching within three miles in that
famous spring drive of 1917. Nearly
everyone left, but Col. Moorehead and
about six others remained behind un-
der intense fire and with the utmost
risk of being captured, to look after
those who could not be moved. These
seven fed hundreds OF soldiers, dress
ed wounds, scrubbed floors, buried
the dead and otherwise did everything
that humans could do under such con
ditions.
: Among the seven who remained
were several Red Gross ambulance
drivers. and" said Col. Moorehead.
lone of them was your own towns
man, Harold Clark"
Colonel Moorehead remarked that
he could forgive the boche almost
anything, but when it came to the in
territorial bombing of hospitals, that
was something nobody could over
look. These hospitals were plainly
marked with huge red crosses but
the despicable hun only made these
targets for his destructive work,
preying on men who had been rem
dered d~efenseless by wounds received
on the front lines.
Two great things surprised Colonel
Moorehead. One was the courage and
capabilities of the men who won the
war-the American d~oughboy, and
the other was the bravery, fortitude,
interest and zeal manifested on the
part of the women who were engaged
in war work.
Praises Y. NJ. C. A.. Work
He declared that the criticism
heard in his country concerning the
work of the Y. M. C. A. and kindred
organizations were ~unfounded as far
as he could ascertain, for up in the
front lines they proved a great help
and were important factors in keep
ing the morale of the soldiers On a
high level
Colonel M~oorehead was serving on
the Argonne sector with his staff
when the Americans licked the Ger
mans there. He said it was an al
most impenetrable mass of small
trees and heavy underbrush and that
conditions for fighting there were adj
verse in the extreme. As an example
of that he cited hat in the seven
weeks of that offensive the casualties
numbered 167,44S for the Americans
and that 1857 boys had passed
through the hospital within that
period.
At the conclusion of the lecture