The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-04-29
THEY ALSO SERVE

THEY ALSO SERVE
BY Sgt. First Class John N, Jane,
A wounded doughboy, weak and
pale, but ever sheerful, lay sick unto
death in big ward is a still bigger
institution of healing, Debarkation
hospital No. 8, New York City.
In an adjoining office a group OF
serious:-faced army surgeons debated
the pros and cons of this battling
case. A crisis was fast approaching
"A bit Of Krupp odrnance had found
Its final billet in this lads leg. The
wound, serious enough from the first,
was not healing properly. The only
nope OF the boys life lay in an ampu-
tatlon. But could the patient. al
ready weakened by the ravages of
his wound, withstand the shock and
the loss of blood? ,......
1t was a grim dilemma. On one
side, an operation that had to be
performed to save life; on the
other hand, the consequences of this
most necessary operation were very
likely to be fatal.
There was but one solution
TRANSMISSION of blood.
So the surgeon called Chaplain
Ernest E. Davis in the consultation
Could Chaplain Davis find a soldier
who would volunteer a quart of his
blood to save the life of a wounded
buddy? The chaplain said he
would try.
The chaplain stepped out of the
ward surgeons office, and happened
to wander into the mess hall. (The
point Of the story is this-had the
chaplain gone to the detachment Of
nee, the guard room, the fatigue
headquarters, or any other office in
the big Greenhut building the result
would have been the same.)
To the assembled cooks and X. P.'s
the chaplain spoke in this wise:
Fellows, there's wounded soldier
in such-and-such a ward, who needs
your help. Tomorrow he undergoes
an operation. He is going to lose
his leg. Unless he receives quart
of good rich blood from some healthy
man that operation is very liable to
be fatal. You don't know this boy,
in all probability. But that shouldn't
make any difference. Who will vol
.unteer to undergo blood-trans-
fusion operation to save this boys
life?"
And in chorus the X. P.'s and
cooks of Debarkation Hospital No. 3
There are about 200 of 'em) an
swered, Il will, Chaplain"
Four men were selected in the
first draft From these the surgeon
chose one to undergo the trans
fusion-Cook Anthony Pugeliesc.
And Immediately Cook Pugeliesc be-
came all pulled up with sinful pride,
for the surgeon made it known that
the reason for the selection lay in
the outward and visible signs of in
ward plentitude of red corpuscles.
Il ought to have a lot of EN-" said
the cook. "It's my own fault if l
don't get enough to eat C'mon, let's
do"
So the we'll soldier and the
wounded were placed side by side;
two arteries were opened, and soon
the stout heart of Anthony Pugeliesc
was pumping rich red blood into the
weakened body of his new buddy
At length the operation was COM
pleted and the two patients slept.
And now Private First Glass Earl
Bridges, late Of Company B, 120th
infantry, is resting easily, safely over
his dangerous operation, gradually
regaining strength hat new
strength that flowed into his veins,
and brought him back from the very
dates of death.
But there are three other soldiers
who are all put out because they, too,
we're not chosen to help out on the
job. These are the other volunteers
of the first draft Cook Harry l..
Stafford, Cook William Murray, and
Private James P. Kehoe. These
three declare that cts all wrong"
for had they (either one or ALL been
selected, the wounded buddy would
be all well by this time.
An all-seeing government does
not bestow military crosses and
wound stripes for these little acts.
But who will say that Cook Anthony
in his humble way, has
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