The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-02-02
COMPANY K HISTORY
WRITTEN NBYLIEUTENANT
y ALLEN B. M'CLANAHAN

objected to having anv men take
him to the first aid station, not wish
ing to draw anyone from the firing
line and thus weaken the company.
And under his protest he was sent
to the rear. On the way back Will
ham a. PERRIN, one of the stretcher
bearers, received his mortal wound
from shell fire and later died in
hospital. SO passed another cour-
ageouS son OF Oklahoma.
In this drive and afterwards there
were many gasSed. Sergt. Van c.
Petty was gasSed severely. and an
other good soldier was lost to the
company, as he was never returned
10 the company. Mess Sergt. Roger
). Cook, Cooks Office Lee, William
f. kenney and Homer Cole. Bugler
Elmer d. Dawson, Pvts. Bennie
Brown, Guy Bingham, William M.
Clark, Fred Z. Nolan. lanes X.
Wallace all inhaled too much OF the
mustard gas and were sent TO hos
piral, all OF whom later recovered.
Sergt. Myron NJ. Massey, one OF the
"Orlginals of Ardmore.' received a
peculiar wound, or near wound, as
dud skipped over his shoulder, tore
the pack off his back, and buried it
in the ground beside him. Sergt.
Massey received a severe shock and
conclusion, but hear he has recov-
cred and been sent back to the
states. ! would like to hear from
him or about him, as he had a place
in all our hearts.
Corporal Martin J. Coady received
serious wound as ne was going
into action, being shot through the
top OF the right lung, but has recov-
cred as ! have later learned, and has
been sent back to the states.
Fighting in the Argonne.
From the st. Mihiel sector the
division was rushed in trucks to the
Argonne fsont and thrown into the
hottest and ficrcest scrapping Of the
war. On the 2lSt Of October Com
pany X went into the lines, and on
the evening Of the 25rd at ; p. n.
we chopped over and drove three
klIometers and captured the village
OF Ranthevlle. Company X was
the first to enter the village and The
lirSt to reach the objective. The
men waded 4 creek waist deep and
in the face OF machine gun fire and
SWarmcd into the village, bayonet
IN the lead, like they were an army
instead of a stout hearted company.
That night we dug in and held our
position under the hottest kind Of
shell fire.
The next morning was that Of Oc-
tober 24th, never to- be-iorgotten
morning, for Company X. or rather
the survivors of Company X, for
"k went into action again. into a
hell OF fire and destruction that few
men ever experienced. At 10 a. N.
the morning orders came for the
company to take the hill in front Of
them, while the battalion on our
LETT swung to the front. Our orders
were TO advance, hold the hill until
the battalion on our left had flanked
the Boche and hill, and then we
were to retire to our old lines. At
1880 while two other officers and
myself were reconnoitering in front
OF the line the other officers we're
both wounded by snipers. leaving
me the sole officer with the com
pany and in command. This made
more responsibility fall upon my ser
geants than otherwise would have
occurred, and possibly accounts for
so many casualties among the nom
commissioned officers.
Hill 20; that was our objective.
lay directly in front of us. and COM
manded the country for miles
around. 1t was the most important
point in the neighborhood, fact the
Boche FULLY recognized as they man
ned il with numerous machine guns
and placed the best troops that Ger
many boasted in defense-the Prus-
sian grenadier guards. This was
the hill that Company X was to take
and the troops they were to defeat.
Capture Hill 270.
At II a, m. the company Jumped
OFF, The men started at a walk
until they came under fire. Then
they broke into a hard, fast run
yelling like fiends, shooting from
their shoulders, trying to get into
bayonet reach OF the Boche, who
were pouring a deadly fire into our
rank, from all points. 1t was more
like a moving picture fight than a
real one. Not man stopped ad-
vancing until he was shot down, and
even some dragged their way to-
ward their goal. In eight minutes
Company X reached the top OF that
hill. They had driven through ma
chine gun after machine gun cap
turing 2S live prisoners. and left the
hill sides trewn with German dead.
And these Boches were the Prus-
sian guards who boasted of no de-
feat and no surrender. Well, the
German staff itself would have sur
rendered to that yelling murderous
company of Oklahomans that
Swarmed up the side OF hill 270.
But it was a dear price we paid
for the victory. The company was
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