Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-15
PERSHING VIEWS
ARMY FIRST TIME
ON GERMAN SOIL
wards Medals to Men Who
Won Distinction on
Battlefields
PRAISE FOR FIGHTERS
Tells Fighters Their Work
Will Win Praise From
Folks at Home
RIDES CAVALRY HORSE
Review Takes Place in For
mer Drill Ground of
German Army

CoblcnZ, March 15.-General John
J. Pershing, who is inspecting the
lighting divisions of the American
army of occupation had his first sight
this morning of American troops in
combat formation on German soil.
ON a SiX-hundred-acre plateau on
the east bank of the Rhine, over
looking Cobienz and the winding
river, he inspected the Second di-
vision and presented more than
eighty decorations. He later review
ed the division which passed before
him in massed formation, the march
ing time of the $4,000 men being
about twenty minutes.
Rides Gray Horse
Mounted on a dappled gray cav
airy horse, which was presented
Brigadier General John l.. Hines,
commander of the Third Army
Corps, by the British mission, Cen
eral Pershing inspected the supply
trains. ammunition units and motor
ized artillery and then passed on to
the infantry.
The commander-in-chi in this
part of the program, walked along
the lines of soldiers, devoting more
than an hour to the work. He ques-
toned company commanders as to
their quarters and in reference to
tOnulIlOnS SSllGTdllN. IlC NdlhGu "
scores of doughboys who wore
wound stripes. inquiring if they had
fully recovered, and asking others if
they wanted to go home. Without
exception they were eager to return
10 America as soon as possible for
family and business reasons, but all
were perfectly willing, they said, to
serve as long as it was necessary for
The United States to keep an army
in Europe.
Decoratcs Brave Jersey Man
At the head of the line of those
, receiving decorations, and for the
moment outranking two geHerals,
was Sergeant Louis Van Israel, of
Newark, y. j., whose mother is liv-
ing in Holland. He was given the
Congressional Medal of Honor. Dur
ing the battle of the Argonne, he
crossed the Meuse, fell into Ger
man trap, escaped and again crossed
the river with valuable information
as to the enemy's forces.
Major General John 4. Lejeune,
commander of the Second division,
was given the Distinguished Service
Medal and received the insignia of
commander of the French Logon OF
Honor. Brigadier General w. 9.
Neville, commander of the Marine
Brigade at Belleau Wood, was dec
GRATED with the Distinguished Serv-
ice Medal. Seventy-eight soldiers re-
ceived Distinguished Service Crosses.
Kelly Not Present
As a surprise, General Pershing
brought with him a Congressional
Medal of Honor for Private John j.
Kelly. of Chicago. Sixth marines, as
4 reward for attacking a machine
gun nest on Blanc Mont ridge, in the
Champagne. Kelly, however. was on
outpost duty and was unable to be
present.
The plateau where the review
took place was used for years by
the Eighth Germany army corps for
the same purpose.
In the afternoon, General Per-
shing inspected and reviewed the
First division which he helped to
organize in Washington for service
in France. The review took place
ut Montabauer, the headquarters OF
the First division, and. in addition to
visiting the troops, the commander
in-chief presented number of dec
orations, among them being Dis
tinguished Service Medal for Brig
adler General ]. D. McLachlan, the
commander of the division.
Addresses Officers
After the review the commission
ed and non commissioned officers
gathered in the center of the field
and heard General Pershing tell of
the part he took in the formation
Of the division and recount some
of the fine performances of its men
during the war. He reminded the
men that when they returned home
they would receive especial atten-
ton for their gallantry in France
and expressed the desire that they
should uphold their fine, clean rec
ords as soldiers when they become
civilians He spoke of the entry of
America into the war and the effort
exerted in securing the peace which
is now being dictated by the Allies.
adding that American troops have
won the respect of all the Allied
armies.
General Pershing dined with Gem
eral Dickman in CoblenZ last night.
Signal Men Go to Berlin
An American signal corps officer
and four telegraphers have left Co
blenz for Berlin to establish tele-
graph office which will begin opera
ton in a few days. Messages from
Coblenz for various units scattered
throughout Germany at Russian
prison camps will be relayed by the
signal cornS men.