The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1919-03-05
lR0NTHUNDER Was
'RARlN" T0flGHT
BuI.head Indian from Northwestern
South Dakota, "Rarin" to Fight
Although Listed In Class 4.
SICK AT CAMP DODGE NOW
Wife and Daughter at His Side, but
One Deep Regret Is His Not
Getting to France.


CAMP DODGE, March lin re
cent letter your correspondent statet
that the 18th division, called to serv
ice upon the departure OF the Ssth
last July, has been discharged and rne
men have taken their departure te
their homes. except as preferred fur
ther military service in the regular
army.
To this statement vigorous excep
tion is taken by q number OF men who
are waiting patiently for their release
from military service. One soldier
makes this positive declaration In or
der to refute the statement thus made:
l belong to the 87th regiment OF the
18th division and when the division
was demobilized; 35 men in each com
pany were held. There was nothing
voluntary about it as one would infer
from the statement except such as
preferred further military service IN
the regular rsarmy."
It is common to report that several
hundred men left behind as was this
writer are making a strenuous eHorl
to get released from service. Most OF
, these men have either been assigned
to the headquarters company or to
the uuartermasters division. In eth
er case their work is very strenuous
during these times when so many men
are to be discharged, as they must as
sist in the details of the work. There
are about $4,000 men at the camp. AS
fas as discharges are granted fresh
arrivals put in an appearance so that
an army of from 10000 to Il, 900 men
represent the alignment that Is always
ready for discharge and it takes about
four days to finish" man and turn
him loose. .a..
The first thing is a careful medical
examination. This is even more strict
than when he was inducted into the
service. Then comes the examination
and checking over of records, adjust
ling all details to the minutest item
the turning In Of all supplies not to
be taken by the discharged soldier
and lastly the adjustment of the tinan
/ cial record. Some of the overseas
men have not been paid for months
This is because they were moved
about so rapidly that their records
could not keep up with them and by
the time paymaster had the llst
ready the division would be miles
away and when they came home from
over the sea perhaps the army rec.
ords were sent on later vessels and
thus delays have been almost exasper'
ating. A man out of money for months
at q time gets cross and irritable and
that is what got a good many Y. NJ
C. A. secretaries in bad. They were
unwilling to stake the boys for a
lot, of luxuries. 1t was not the fault
of the Y. N. G. A. management SO
much as it was that of the government
in not getting the soldiers their mon
ey, but being right on the ground the
Y. M. C. A. was made the goat.
ironthunder Has Had Hard Sick Spell
From Bullhead Indian reservation in
northwestern South Dakota came a
brave Indian, ready to fight for his
country. Being, married and having
one child he was placed in Class 4, but
this did not suit him and after much
effort he succeeded in getting trans
fer to Class / and so last fall he was
sent to this camp. He was "rarin'
to get into the big war but soon after
his arrival here he took sick and for
months he has had hard shedding
speaking after the manner of men
Several weeks ago Mrs. Ironthunder
and their 18 months old daughter
Margaret Lorraine, came to the base
hospital that they might be near the
afflicted man. He is getting better
now and his one regret is that he did
not get into the thickest of the fight
in France. His wife and little girl
spend most OF their time at the Red
Cross convalescent building and the
returned wounded soldiers have much
sport with the little Indian girl. They
are teaching Eher all Of the tricks
known to childhood among the pale
faces. .r,
The s8th in Good Quarters
The SStA division, $4,000 strong
who left Camp Dodge for overseas
last>summer, has been heard from def
initely. A dispatch from Gondrecourt
France, says that after touring a doz
en- or more billeting areas in the
north, Capt. E. ]. D. Larson, zone ma
jor, has declared the SSth about as
comfortably installed as any outfit in
the whole American expeditionary
forces. The improvements wrought
over the customary lodgings in barns
and garrets are the result Of
months searching over the entire area
of the second army, salvaging of lum
Der and barracks Of every kind and de
scription.
Each company in the SSth is now
provided with wooden barracks fol
a mess hall and cook house. In the
larger places, additional frame struc
lures have been provided in the way
of recreation halls, canteens and lount
ing rooms. The great need Of the sol
dier on the Meuse in the winter time
is a place to dry out and keep warm
During the last month it has rainet
almost constantly. In many cases i'm
proved methods have been adopted
for the drying process in the form o
clothing racks. constructed arount
central heating apparatus. The mel
take off the damp clothes in warn
building, change into dry things ant
leave the rest to the stoves. and tht
racks. Practically every Organization
S