Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-01-12
PORTAGE BOYS
REGIMENT CITED
Thomas E. Daley With 21st En-
gineers Doing Splendid
Work Overseas.

regiment is good one is evident from
the citation it has received for work per
formed. He is the son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Thomas Daley of Portage and writes as
follows:
Audun lie Roman, France, Dec. Is,
1918.
Dear Folks: / received two Of your
everwelcome letters yesterday and will
now endeavor to answer them. This IS
the first nice day we have had for a long
time. Rain is one of the popular pas
times of the weather man over here.
Say, but won't ! be a happy bird when
| get back TO 4 dry land country again,
a place where it SHOWS in the winter
time instead of raining.
You will notice by the heading the
town / am in. 1t is air-sized town. al
though half of it is in ruins. about four
kilometers from the border of Lorraine.
We moved up here the day before
Thanksgiving, and put in the most Of
Thanksgiving day cleaning up buildings
10 live In We sure have fine quarters.
old brick and stone buildings that We're
probably once hotels, but billets for the
Germans for the last four years. They
left them in an awful filthy condition.
but we sailed in and cleaned and scrubbed
until we got them clean. And now all
we lack is a bell boy and an elevator.
There are no civilians in the town We
are in The nearest town with anything
in it is across the border and some Of
the people there speak both French and
German and a lot of them only German.
did know enough French to get by with,
but now it looks as though / would have
to learn some German.
A bunch out Of our company is away
on leave now. and ] have my name in to
go With the next bunch. | sincerely hope
I can go Four of the, last five months
all the landscape held for our weary eyes
was ruined towns, shell holes and barb
wire entanglements and | would like to
see some real country again. | guess il
is all right to tell YOU this now that the
war is over and you know | won't get
hurt.
I suppose those German relics | sent
home were very interesting TO you folks.
| could get enough of them to sink a
batt:eship if | could carry them. There
are lot of rumors about US sailing soon
after the first Of the year. but there is
nothing official about them However.
| think from the signs and tokens that
we will start for the coast before long.
| am sending YOU a recent citation Our
regiment got. Every man got copy of
ii and | thought it might interest you,
Our regiment has had five citations for
the good work it has done, and there is
some talk Of us getting merit cord
We'll. | guess | will close for this time.
With love to ALL TOM.
Private Thos +. Daley, Go. A. Twenty
first Engineers, American f. T.,
France Via New York;.
The Citation
Headquarters Twenty first Regiment
Engineers (Trans, Corpse, American
Txpcditionarr Forces.
Memorandum No. 10.
Nov 27, 1918.
/. The attention of all the members
of this command is invited to the follow
ing letter of commendation from Col.
George r. Spalding. chief engineer, First
army:
From the Chief Engineer First Army to
the Commanding Officer, Twenty first
Engineers:
Subject: Services rendered during
offensives.
/. The chief engineer desires to ex-
press his highest appreciation to YOU
and to yonr regiment for the services
rendered by YOU 10 the First army iii
connection with the st. Mihiei offensive
starting Sept II, and the offensive be-
tween the Meusc and tie Argonne, start
ing Sept. &c. and the continuation of that
offensive on Nov. !.
= The success of these offcnsivcs
ana the supply Of the army is largely
due to the excellent work performed hy
Your regiment and its attached troops
9. A copy of this letter has been sent
to the chief of staff. First army.
4. 1t is desired that the terms of this
letter be published to all the officers and
enlisted men Of your command at the
| earliest opportunity.
GEORGE r. SPALDING,
Colonel, Engineers, r. s. a.
The regimental commander desires to
| take this occasion again TO commend the
men of the regiment on the splendid
spirit and the forttude with which they
! have performed the artluous work which
\ has been encountered during the service
\ with the American n. T.. and partic1l-
1 larly during the offensives cited above
| Tho excellent work of the Twenty first
engineers. which has called forth favor
| able comment on more than one occasion
| is proof positive of the fine caliber of
man of which this regiment is composed
and each man Of the regiment may well
/ feel proud of the part he has played in
gaining this enviah1e record which has
| been achieved BY the consistent, persist
ent. cooperative hard work Of the va
rious units of the regiment
The effort put forth has been well
worth it. not so much for the record it
| self as for the part which the regiment
has played in the reduction Of the enemy
| to his present condition Of enforced in
| activity. However. the past. with its
trials and tribulations, lies behind us;
| there is standard gauge work ahead for
| the standard gauge man which comprises
| the Twenty first engineers. there is still
duty to perform to the comrades who
are III the enemys country occupying en-
envy territory which has been wrestcd
from his ayaricious grasp at deep cost
| Therefore, let there be no relaxation OF
| effort on our part, nor of willingness to
do for the period of service yet before
u.s. By order Of
LIEUT.. COL. SLIFER.
James w Anderson. Jr., Second Lieuten-
ant Engineers, y. S. A., Acting Ad-
,,,Y.r