Smyrna times., 1919-04-02
"Y"
WORKERS WENT
west IN WAR
Thirteen Women Among Those
Who Made Supreme Sacrifice.
Croix de Guerre Conferred Upon 13 of
1852 Cited for Distinguished
Service.

A II cost of % lives the I. NJ. u. a.
~ carried the Red Triangle into
the camps and trenches abroad,
and on many occasions right up to the
front firing lines. This sacrifice was
proportioAately one-Quarter as great as
that of the American army overseas.
OF these fatalities 80 were due to dis
ease, ana the remainder to shell-fire,
bombs, gas-fever, drowning and
wounds. Thirteen of those who event
west" doing their bit in the service of
the "Y" were women; one of whom
was killed by shell fire and another in
a German air raid.
There also were - nOn-fatal casual
ties. These were due principally to
machine gun fire, gas, shell NE and
motor transport accidents. Numerous
cases Of slight wounds and gassings.
which were attended at dressing sta
tons but were not reported TO head
quarters, are not included. These cas-
ualties occurred i'm force which at no
time exceeded 5000 workers. of whom
it is reckOned that more than One-half
never were sent to the front, being EN-
ployed in the hundreds of huts main
tained throughout the training areas
and the leave" areas.
SiXty-three "Y" workers were deco
rated, while in all more than 1j2 re-
cei1ed official recondition for distin-
guished service. Thirteen were deco
rated with the CroiX de Guerre, while
fifty received other decorations. OF
these, three received the Distinguished
Service Cross, three the Order of st.
StanslaUs, five the Italian Cavaliere
de; Corona; thirty-eight the Italian
war cross, and one the French decora-
ton of the Corps dArmee. Seven
were cited for the CrOiX de Guerre,
and seven for other decorations; six
commeded for meritOrious conduct
and tWenty-nine received honorable
mention in dispatches. Several units
were cited in their entirety; that serv-
ing with the Third Division, consisting
Of thirty-four men and six women, be-
ing cited twice. More than a score
reported decorations have not vet been
confirmed
Not one of these men under thirty
was fit for military duty, but the cita-
tions show that they carried on with
the same courage and spirit that iden-
titled Americans throughout the war
These records show that they went
over the top with the aSslulting waves,
that they exposed themselves under
machine gun and shell fire to minister
to the wounded, that they worked in
dcfatigably as stretcher bearers and
that they drove ambulances into the
midst of battle to rescue the wounded.
Others were sacrificed in the less he
rOic lelt no less necessary work behind
Tie lines. Among these stands out
Miss WinOna Martin of Rockville
Center, L. l., Y. NJ. c. A. secretary,
who was the first American woman
killed in the war She was killed by
bomb during a German air raid upon
Paris and her death made a deep i'm
preston on American minds Miss
Marion G. Crandall of Alameda, Cal,
killed by shell fire near ChalOns March
26, 1918, was another of the women
Sacrlhced in helping the soldiers.
Officials were quick to see and ap.
preciate meritOriOus work on the part
of the secretaries and prompt to recOg
nize it officially. The citation of the
units attached to the Third Division
by Major General hickman, in part
reads:
The commanding general desires Z
make of record in the General Orders o
appreciation of the part taken by tn,
members of the Y NJ c. A. who hav,
been attached to this division and active
ly carried on their work in all it's phases
during the time that this division wa
| in contact with the enemy from May 3
to July 30. During the days beginnin,
July IA, when the enemy made their at
| tack, and for days and nights afterwards
the Y. NJ. c. A, through it's faithful mem
bers at their posts of duty not only wit
chocolate and cakes and tobacco cheere
our soldiers, but were OF efficient assist