The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-05-17
FIRST MAN TO SWING
OUR FLAG IN BELGIUM
Was Wounded and Rescued by His
Sister Whom He Had Not
Seen in Five Years


1t has been truly said that "truth
is stronger that fiction"
Cite, if you may, an author of even
the most melodramatic tendencies
who would make so bold as to have a
soldier wounded in a great battle with
the Huns and to open his eyes and
find that he is gazing into the face
OF his sister, whom he hasn't seen in
five years-not since he bade her
in the states.
Few authors would have the cour-
age to take such liberties with the
exigencies of life. And yet that's
what happened in real life. That's the
story of Sergeant j. M. Morrison, of
the 18th Cavalry, who is in Atlanta,
Ga, where he underwent treatment
for an eye trouble brought on by be-
iLg gassed in battle.
Sergeant Morrison doesn't tell his
story with any great Celebrations. He
speaks a little haltingly at best. And
when he starts to talk of his sister
the little Salvation Army lassie-kis
elocution isn't all that it might be.
81 was lying there in No Mans
Land, and had terrible misery, al
though l was almost unconscious. But
l could feel the terrible pain in my
side. And then l regained conscious
ness, and l felt that my head was
lying in the lap of some girl, and /
looked up, and
"Wel, / can't tell you how / felt
when / recognized my little sister,
Gertrude, wearing the blue and red
bonnet of the Salvation Army. / was
suffering so 1 could hardly speak. But
managed to get out the one word,
"sister.' She squeezed my hand
tighter and replied:
Brother, dear, / am here"
"There were tears in her eyes, and
] guess / began to cloud up a little
myself. But 1 couldn't sepak another
word. l was just sort of semi
conscious, and then too, / was in such
misery. / couldn't even ask her when
she'd heard from the mother back in
the states, or if she had heard that
the three brothers and the other sis
ter had been killed"
Sergeant Morrison's speech be-
comes very halting at this particular
part of the story. But after a few
minutes he continues:
eyes, had three brothers killed in
the service-Lieut. Jack Morrison,
Sergeant Frank Morrison and Ser
geant George Morrison. The sister,
the other sister, Bessie, was a Red
Cross nurse, and she was killed when
the Huns bombed a base hospital at
Montdidier.
81 was the first to leave home to
join the army, and l didn't know that
my sister was with the Salvation
Army. And even now / know very
little of her service over there. Think
of it, to meet your sister after five
years and not be able to talk to her
only to say one word.
''If / was feeling well, / could tell
you lots more about it. But the wound
in my side is pretty bad this morning
its always worse In rainy weather.
I'd like to tell you just how / felt
when / saw my sister, and how lay
there with my head on her lap till the
stretcher bearers came along and re-
moved me to a dressing station. But
don't feel like talking much this
morning and sisters coming home
had a wire from her the other day
saying she'd be here some time this
week, and she'll tell you all about it.
/ haven't seen her since / lay with
my head in her lap after the battle
there in no mans land"
Sergeant Morrison wears two
wound stripes. He wears a campaign
badge and a sharpshooter's badge and
he wears another badge. It's cur
ious little silver medal, showing sew
eral figures on it, and the simple
word-Verdun. But it bears a lot of
significance. 1t means that Serbeant
Morrison was the first man to swing
the American flag in Belgium.
Sergeant Morrison has asked per.
mission to aid the Salvation Army in
its home service fund campaign, to
be conducted May 19 TO 26.
81 put them at the top of the re.
icord," he said, "and I'd do so ever
if my sister wasn't a member of the
Organization Nobody will ever know
what they did for US boys in France