Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-04-29
Proud Record Of
Rainbow Division;
Nev Name Bobs Up

They're going to change the name
of this division" remarked one mem
Der of the Forty second to another
somewhere in France.
THAT so? Why? What TOT?
They're. not going to call US the
Rainbow division any more. They're
going to call us the Pine Tree division
no leavcs!' .t,
The Forty second claims record o.
longer continuous front line service
than any other division having beer
In the thick of the fighting for Ito days
without intermission. But that Ia no
It's only record Of uninterrupted ser
vice. In the front lines or farther back
Inc division had no leaves" FROM tne
time it took it's place IN the lighting
until after the armistice was signed
OF course, the men say, there might
have been little exceptional ar
re ngement" here and there that tooF
on the appearance Of some sort OF a
recess for some one: but regular
leaves there were none.
Notices were sent out like TINS:
Leaves will be resumed on. there
followed a date,) except for troops in
tho trent lines" AS a returned officer
Of the 16sth infantry put 1t. 1--WE were
in the front lines most OF the time
There were various other exceptions
that kept the Rainbow division from
the possibility OF n holiday.
They Were West Of verdun.
But the one that got my goat" re-
marked veteran in reminiscen!
mood. was Leaves will be resumed In
the a. f. F. on a certain date-except
for troops west of Verdun.' We were
west Of Verdun. Some of the hardest
fighting OF the war was going on wes'
of yerdun. That was what we were
doing. No leaves for u.s."
An experience that men Of the For
ty-scCond dismiss as commonplace
Of war; but that makes war very vivid
to the civilian, came TO light when
Capt James Finn of the l65th was
asked how he got his wound. His
right leg was so badly crushed by a
shell that a bone grating operation
will be necessary before he can use
it.
IT was hit most ingloriously," ne
smiled. Il was lying in a ravine on
the Ourcq, trying to snatch bit of
sleep. The shells were falling al
around, and one fell just few feet
from where I was lying. ] said to
myself. I guess the next one1l get
me- And it did!
That was on July 2S We had had
no regular sleep for days, only what
we could get with the shells dropping
around us. But the hardest thing,
really. was not getting any foodi We
had no hot food for three days. and II
vas raining hard-mud everywhere.
We hadn't been able to get our kitch-
ems set up. because we were so busy
fighting: and then there was always
the trouble in getting provisions up to
tie lines. Finally, after these foodless
days, we did get n kitchen set up one
night. the call went out for a real
mess, and every one was jubilant. The
men all were ready with their mess
kits, and about ten of them had got
some food-but had not had time to
eat it-when an order came Hurry
up. March at once.' -
Well. the men who had got some
thing managed to swallow it somehow
The rest went without About two III
the morning we reached what had been
given us as our destination. and pre-
pared once more to eat. We hadn't
even got the kitchen ready when the
order came again. Hurry up! March
Mt once This time Il was into the
fighting. We were out. in 1t again. at
g. and from then on until Aug.3 or
there abouts-I'd been knocked out by
that time myself-there was only such
food and sleep as We could snatch at
off moments.
1T was different business, that at
tack along the Ourcq. because we had
no artillery support; We just had to
march right up to the German ma
chine guns.
And before that, in the fighting in
Champagne that proceeded the great
offensive Of July IS, our losses were
tremendous; in two days-July Is and
16-my own company. II, suffered
eighty-four casualties, eighteen OF
them killed"
In the 165th were two brothers. both
first sergeants. In the Champagne
fighting one OF them was hit IN the
left shoulder. His company had al
ready lost a good many men. and al
though he was a sergeant and not an
automatic gunner, he got hold Of an
automatic and it seemed to him his
business to use it. He worked himself
into 4 position where he could fire
down the German trench. and there
in spite Of the wound in his left shout
der. he fred the gun until his right
ha nd was hit. Then he somehow man
aged to shift the gun and fire It with
his left hand, badly wounded as Ms
shoulder was. And there he stayed
and fred his gun until q shot came
that killed him.
Keeps Death from Brother.
They learned Of his death at head