Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-14
THOUSAND SEE
CROSS OF WAR
GIVEN MARINE
Corporal Winfield Bredt, Hero OF
Chateau Thierry, is Decorated
With Medal
(special Moline service.l

| Especial Moline SerVice-)
Happy and smiling, Corporal
Winfield Bredt, hero marine of
Chateau Thierry and son of Mr..
and Mrs. E. A. Bredt, 2318 Fiji
teenth street. Moline. stood on the
platform of the Prospect park
auditorium yesterday afternoon
and was decorated with the highest
medal of honor conferred by the
government of France upon the
soldier of another nation.
/. Captain L. W. Putnam of the
| United States marines pinned the
croix de guerre on the breast of the
marine who carried wounded from
| the region of Very under storm
of heavy machine gun fire Hun
dreds of people, more than the
| Fourth of July exercises, cheered
and applauded the 6 foot, inch
hero of the great war, his young
wife, whom he recently married,
and his mother and father.
Smiling as each passed, Corporal
Bredt shook hands with hundreds
as they filed past him at the con-
clusion of the exercises. He is the
only Moliner who has been pub
| licly decorated with the French
war CROSS and the occasion yester-
| day was as Mayor c. P Skinner
said, THE greatest occasion in the
history of Moline"
Bredt was asked to say a few
words, but he declined, feeling too
happy to make any statement.
When questioned by a reporter,
after it was all over, he said:
81 just went out and brought in
a couple of wounded, that's ALL"
That's all, but here's what the
citation that accompanied the
croix de guerre says: Ut is signed
by Marshal Petain, grand COM
mander of the French armies of the
east:
General headquarters of the
French armies. With the approba-
ton of the mmander-in-chief OF
the American expeditionary forces
in France, the marshal of France,
commander of the French armies
in the east, cities in the order OF
the division:
winfield S Bredt, Sixth regf-
ment, United States marines, July
10, 1918, near Very, volunteered
to take the wounded away from the
exposed area, and transported
then under violent artillery and
machine gun fire to a place OF
safety"
Corporal Bredt is a few inches
over six feet and he had a difficult
time getting into the service of the
United States. But the refusal from
the local recruiting officer didn't
bother him and he applied to
Washington. Government officials
didn't realize at the time what a
hero they had enlisted, but they &C
cepted him and today are proud of
him That was % months months
ago and the record of Bredt now
reads that he has been recom- |
mended for the highest military |
honor within the gift of the Amer |
lean people, the distinguished ser
vice cross.
The exercises were simple but |
impressive Mayor c. P. Skinner |
presided, and after many words of |
praise for the Moline marine, in
PRODUCED. Rev. r. S. Haney who |
opened the ceremonies with a word |
of prayer and closed them by lead |
ing the audience in singing |
America" Captain Putnam be-
slowed the croix de guerre. The !
captain was accompanied to Mo- |
line by A. w Peterson and S. H. |
Lewicke, both veterans of Chateau
Thierry
Bredt's parents and wife were in /
troduced to the crowd who
greeted them wildly.
Mr. Todd, vice president of
Deere & So, who made the only ad
dress given at the park, declared
in America to prove by a not unlav-
ish hand that we appreciate the
sacrifices the soldiers, sailors and
marines have made.
There is one of these marines"
he said. who has been chosen by
the great sister republic of France
to receive the greatest honor that
France can confer upon the soldier
of another nation.
"The shattered remnants of the
broken French army had already
swept by-in retreat. When the
dawn broke the tremendous mass
of the Hun was ready to charge
and it seemed impossible to stem
the tide.
But the Fifth and Sixth marines
were there Corporal Bredt was
there The marines waited until
the hordes came out of the woods
and approached within $50 feet Of
the American lines. Then the
gray troops of the kaiser bit the
dust Democracy and civilization
were saved.
Our boy, Bredt, was one of those
who dug themselves in at Chateau
and turned the Germans
back This is a proud moment in
the history of Moline and in the
history of the Bredt family"