The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-13
f them in this article.
By ROZEMAN BULGER.

Lieutenant Colonel, Infantry, U. s. A.
 During the six months of hard days in France l never saw Hank Gowdy but once. It was one of my duties, though, to keep track of the various units so as to inform wandering off cers or civilian visitors as to their whereabouts. Strangely enough we had more inquiries for Gowdy than any other personality on the front. Though a sergeant he was more sought after than most of the generals. This in terest, however. was purely personal. Visitors knew him as ball player and, evidently. were curious to know him as a soldier
 One rainy night Grantland Rice. then strolling artillery officer popped in on us before making tour of the front line positions.
 I'm particularly anxious to see Hank" he said and when handed a terrain map spent fully an hour fixing in his mind the exact location of the headquarters of the 166th infantry. then in the midst of a tough fight and gas attack.
 Three days later Rice returned. He had found his man.
 we ran our flivver into a little valley. or hollow" he explained, and ran right into Hank before we knew it. From a little funk-hole he had seen the car and, evidently recogniz- ing me, came out. 1 don't believe I ever saw Hank so down in the mouth in my life. He was rain soaked, his blankets wet, he had not slept for three nights and he was sneezing."
 They've been popping gas into this hollow for two days,' he told me and his companion a corporal, added. I'll say they have
 We haven't had a dry blanket to sleep under and what we've had to eat wouldn't feed the batboy of the Braves two meals.
 The two of them crawled into our little car,' Rice went on, and sighed drearily The war was bearing heavi- ly on them. They were all in.'
 Say, Grant, what is all this stuff about the Austrians having asked for an armistice?" Hank suddenly asked.
 Rice informed him that it was on the level but that there was talk back home of not accepting their offer to quit. Grant added that the look of dis appointment and disguest on Hanks face was ludicrous, especially to one trying to keep his face straight.
 Well. let me tell you something," Hank finally drawled. With these wet getting good and sore and these Aus trians better not come round to me and my buddy here with any of this talk of surrender for-well, we might get together
 ALL SOLDIERS LIKE TO CROUCH
 That Is typical of the way most of the soldiers felt about that time. Such sentiments may have been misunder- stood in the states then, but the sol diers could never understand just why they should be suffering hardships night and day to lick the Germans when a movement back home was be- ing started, so they heard, not to let them surrender.
 The good soldier dearly loves to grouch and Hank Gowdy was no excep- tion.
 Rices story of Gowdy's viewpoint on the armistice was considered typical of the soldier that it went all round the front and eventually got to General Headquarters.
 But Gowdy and his buddy went back to their funk-holes and worked as hard as ever. Later they trudged 300 kilo- -metres into Germany without com plaint.
 It was in Germany that Gowdy paid me a visit and laid out a few things that he wanted to put before the pub lie.
 In speaking of bravery of the private Nsoldier he always spoke with a fervor foreign to his usual rollicking dispo- sition.
 For an audience, at one time, he had group ot staff officers and some of his observations opened their eyes to the short comings of the army ad ministration.
 T want to tell you gentlemen" he said, that the greatest injustice in the world, Or. rather, the greatest lack of apprecia- tion, has been shown in the awarding of medals and citations for bravery I don t mean to give you the idea that the men who got the D. s. c. did not deserve it. They even deserved more than they got, \ but where one man got the cross there are from 10 to 100 who did not and who were just as much entitled to it"
 How do you account for that?" an ar tillery colonel inquired.
 "Of course, I have not been in a po-