Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-02-26
WARD CUMMINGS HOME.
DEBORAH Soldier Arrived Monday
From BattIefieIds of France.

EEOfu I1tStclcfuS Oh FRANCE.
There was a happy reunion Mon
day at the II. NJ. Cummings home,
as their son Ward arrived home that
day from France, and their son How
ard and wife came up from Cedar
Rapids. Ward enlisted in November
1917 at Davenport, Iowa, in gas
regiment and it was the first gas
regiment that sailed for France Dec.
90, 1917. The men We're known as
the Chemical Warfare battalions.
From the very start the regiment was
in the heaviest of the fighting. The
gas fighters had to be in the front,
because they had by reason of their
peculiar duties, to pave the way for
the infantry and draw the enemy ar
tillery fire so that the batteries of
the enemy could be located by the
allied gunners.
They were first brigaded with the
English, then the Americans went
into action with their own units.
toward the end of April last year,
and from that moment the Gas Regi-
ment was used in all the sectors in
which there were American forces
and took part in every engagement
at Toul, the Vosages, Chateau
Thierry, st. Mihiel and the Argorne.
At one time they fought 40 out of 49
consecutive days without a letup.
The regiment used three methods Of
attack, One was by means of cylin-
ders, used only in trench warfare
Those cylinders weighed 1870 pounds
each. and were used With paraphet
pipes over the trenches for cloud gas.
The gas fighters were also expert
in preparing smoke screens by which
they assisted the infantry. in adyanc-
ing against enemy machine a gun
nests. .r,,.4. .,,.,5 r-,,sN ..r-gIn .,t
Ward was gassed with mustard
gas in April ON, the. La Bassa sector
in Flanders. He was blind for, six
days, and was hardly able to talk for
two months. "ai 4 ri. SfT'
Among the officers and men of the
gas fighters there were so Croix de
Guerre, &c Distinguished Service
Crosses and II officers have been
cited for Distinguished Service medal
The gas regiment did much toward
turning the tide of war in favor OF
the allies and bringing about thu
Iarmistice that practically ended the
struggle on the western front.
| Ward was in the service about IS
months. He was in Paris in Base
Hospital 81 when the armistice was
signed, and was wrestling with AN at
tack of the flu, Ward tells us that the
celebration. in Paris the day the
armistice was signed was something
never to be forgotten. r.. ,.-t..
After getting, out of the hospital
he went to Verdun in the army OF oc-
cupatfen and was going to Germany,
and was transferred in the first
arnly and was sent back for demobili-
zation. afr- t-. -sar.sr M z~a ...,. .
Jim Ward of DEBORAH was in the
same regiment. He is now at Cedar
Rapids visiting relatives. r--"--e.--A-as-.',.,
The regiments headquarters were
at Chaumont and the different com
panies were sent there awaiting
transportation to Brest and left for
Brest latter part of December, 60 in
box car, and embarked for America
in the latter part of January on the
ship Celtic. They were given great
reception by the Red Cross and the
mayors committee of welcome in
New York.
Ward is looking fine and is Ger
tainly one of the lucky boys to get
back, after going through the terrific
Fighting he did. "' III DE ~