Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-30

MORE UNITS OF
18TH TO PORT
Heroes of Montfaucon and
DamvillerS' OffensiveS
Arrive Home

IIhiducipIlla, May 3U.-A CatnollC
chaplain who regularly went over
the top with Pennsylvania boys of
the 316th Infantry and a Presbyter-
ian minister who commanded a COM
pany of fighters from this city were
among the heroes of the 316th In
fantry to- land at Snyder aveRue pier
yesterday afternoon from the trans
port Texan.
On board were all units of the
316th except Companies l. and M.
, Colonel Garrison McCaskey, a Regu-
lar Army officer, was in command.
IF ever l have to go to war again,
1 hope to be with the officers and
men of the 316th," Colonel McCaskey
said of his veterans. Il have been
/ in the Regular Army for twenty
years, and L know fighters when l
see them. These mems record shows
that thew are real fighters"
The fighting chaplain shared every
experience as a fighter. At Hill 378,
near Montaigne, when about half the
! ed, the chaplain stepped in and be-
I came adjutant of the first battal-
ion.
The funny thing about this regi-
ment," Father McNary said, lis that
, it is composed of Pennsylvania
Dutch and had an Irish chaplain.
1t is a brave outfit. There's not
shirker in the whole regiment;
they've all got CUTS. And there is
wonderful spirit of comradeship be-
tween the officers and men. My eX-
perience has been that the men
would go through hell for their Off
GERS"
Chaplain McNary cited the instance
of Corporal John wilkins to show
the stuff the regiment is made of.
"Winkins," he said, was one of
those thin, puny-looking fellows you
read about in the magazine stories
when he came into the Army. But
/ he was one of the bravest lads in the
outfit | remember when he was
sent with a message and he ran for
| 500 meters to deliver it after he had
been wounded by shrapnel. For
this he was given the distinguished
service cross.
runners were the bravest men in
the Army. 1 have seen a whole
string of them starting out with the
same message, going ten PAGES apart.
Some of them fell, but the others
never lose their nerve, and l am
ready to take my hat off to them
any time.
"Then there was an Italian by
the name of Thomas Chido. lie
wasn't a parade rest soldier and ne
couldn't speak much English. About
the only thing he could say in Eng
lish was 'Shoota de Boche' ana ne
was shooting them every time ne
got a chance. Poor fellow, l buried
him at Montfaucon.
There was another Italian in the
regiment by the name of Paul Anna
rosa. | believe he was from Bridge
mort Conn. He always went into the
| trencnes singing and was the life of
the Italians of the regiment. and
when he was wounded in a trench
raid he didn't even ask for first aid
or to be sent to a hospital. All he
said was, L didn't nave chahce W
get 'em.'
The 316th suffered heavier cas-
ualties than any other National
ARMY unit that went across, and
only one other unit in the entire
| Army had heavier casualties. That
was the Second Division. The 316th
| lost 1887 officers and men in killed
and wourded.
Hardest fighting done by the regt-
| ment was at Mount Falcon, where the
Crown Prince was stationed TO watch
his men in their campaign for Verdun.
|
strongest manner known to the Ger
mans. But the Pennsylvania fighters
were determined; they fought and
| fought. and finally Mount Falcon fell.
The 313th Infantry, supported by the
| 316th, took 1t.
More hard fighting came at Mont
| faucon.
, "Take II from me, it was pretty hot
there" a big husky soldier from Iowa
said. "The K-cans' was fallin' thick
and fast"
"K-cans" is a nickname given to big
German shells by the American dough.
boys.
1t was at Montfaucon that Chap
| lain McNary went over the top with his
men and then buried those who were
killed without waiting for the shells
to stop falling.
During the Montfaucon fighting
the first battalion of the 316th made
the furthest advance of any unit.
Eleven Got the ID. S. C.
! Eleven members of the unit were
awarded the ID. S. c. for bravery in
| action. and five others got the French
croix de guerre.
Among the d. S. c. men war Pri-
vate Guy NJ. Habbecker. of Landisville.
Pa. At Hill 37s Habbecker distin-