The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1919-01-16
18TH OFFICERS CITED
Major Brooke Lee And Lieut.. w. p.
Lewis, Dr., Get War CrOsses-Spe-
cial Review Ordered.

A letter from an officer OF the One
Hundred and Fifteenth Infantry
gives an account of the ceremonies
that attended the comforting of war
crosses upon Major Brooke Lee and
Lieut.. William Penn Lewis. Jr. Lieut.
Lewis was at base hospital when
review was held for the purpose of
decorating men in the One Hundred
and Fifteenth, but when he returned
to- his regiment a special review was
ordered so that he could be given his
medal in the presence of his men.
The same day the Croix de Guerre
that had been conferred upon Major
Lee for gallantry last summer arriv-
ed. and together the two officers re-
ceived their medals, afterward re-
viewing the infantry with Col. Mil
ton A. Reckord.
The letter, describing the ceremony
in part follows: =,
Last week a brigade reyl4 as
held to present Disting uished Service
Crosses to a number Of men in the
brigade. 1t was but a few of those
that are to come, as a large number
of men in the regiment have been
recommended for citation. But at
the review mentioned there was one
man absent-he had not returned
from the hospital-First Lieut.. Will
liam Penn Lewis, Jr. A few days la
ter he returned to the regiment to
| say goodby to his friends. as he had
been ordered to the States. He went
into the regimental headquarters and
was greatly surprised when the ad-
jutant, First Lieut.. Herbert A. Payne
Gan old Baltimore sprinterl told him
he had been awarded the Distinguish
ed Service Cross. and that he, Payne,
would make an effort to get the cross
from division headquarters. Col.
Milton A. Reckord offered to hold a
special review of his regiment il di-
vision headquarters would waive a
point and alter the army red tape a
bit so that Lewis could get his Dis
tinguished Service Cross before he
left for the States. Capt. William P.
Lane, assistant division adjutant, did
his bit.
1.-The same day French Croix de
Guerre was received for Major
Brooke Lee, for gallantry in defense
of his company sector in Alsace last
August.
so Colonel Reckord arranged a
review to follow the drill period in
the morning. It had been raining
cold drizzly slow rain for two days,
but when the regiment lined up with
the Colonel and his Adjutant out in
front, the sun broke through the
clouds Major Lee and Lieut.. Lewis
took position midway between the
troops and the Colonel; and Lieut.
| Payne walked forward and publish
ed the order Lieut.. Payne has a
| little gas in his voice so the orders
were not heard except by those cited
| but that detracted nothing from the
glory of the occasion. Then the
Colonel walked forward and pinned
| the decorations on the breasts Of
Major Lee and Lieut.. Lewis, telling
!; them that he felt honored to pin the
medals on such men. Then the
troops passed in review with the
| Colonel and his Adjutant, and Let
and Lewis as reviewing officers.
THE order citing Lieut.. Levi:
read:
/, First Lieutenant William Lew
is, Jr., One Hundred and Fifteenth
Infantry; for extraordinary heroisn
in action near Verdun, France, DC
tober Is, 49,
Lieut.. Lewis, although i'll at thu
time, led his platoon in an attack il
the Bots de Grande Montague
against numerous enemy machine
gun nests and quickly dispatch thu
enemy troops therein; finally he ad
vanced alone and captured an enem!
sniper from a tree and brought hin
into our lines. He remained will
his company until October Is, whe1
he collapsed from shell shock ant