Putnam patriot., 1919-04-11
AFTER
ELEVEN YEARS
Harold Field Dressed in Uncle
Sans Olive Drab
Has Been With Army of Occupation
In Germany and Worked Under
Shell Fire

After eleven years absence from
this city. Harold Field. former Put
nam boy. was visitor in Putnam
over the weekend with his father,
Samuel A. Field When the young
man left Putnam he was in citizens
clothes. This time his former ae-
quaintances greeted him while he was
dressed in Uncle Sans olive drab.
On his left shoulder he wore the red
and black ehevren which showed him
to have been with the army of oecupa-
ton in Germany.
He has been in some of the greatest
battles of the world war, has worked
under shell fire, and after the armis-
tice was signed he preceded the third
army into Germany, clearing the way
for the safety of the allied armies.
Field enlisted in the 37th engineers
in ST. Paul, Mimi, July 30, 1917.
three months after war with Germany
was declared. After winters train
ing in this country his company was
sent overseas in the spring of 1918,
and this outfit was one of the first to
tackle the big job for safety of their
brethren with the rifles and cannon.
Almost from the start the engin-
GERS in which Field was a member, got
into the big affairs. Working under
shell fire building bridges, preparing
highways and completing the thou
sand and one things that meant the
proper moving forward of the Ameri-
can armies in France, made every
minute busy one and in most cases
a hazardous one Field was at the
battles of the Aisne- Marine, at st.
Mihiel and at the Meuse-Argonne.
Through it all he escaped unhurt, al
though in August, 1918, five of his
company were killed and seventeen
were wounded during an air raid by
the Boehes at La Ferte. Sept. 26 two
others were killed in the forest OF
Argonne.
With the signing Of the armistiee
there came relaxation to some ex'
tent for the other branches Of the ser
vice, but not so with the engineers
The Thirty-seventh still had pre-
carious task cut out for it and Fields
company was one of the units delegat-
ed to precede the third army into Ger
MANY to establish rail heads, repair
HIGHWAYS, and most dangerous OF all,
to discover the mines and bombs that
the retreating Germans had placed
under bridges and roads to prey upon
and harrass the pursuing allies.
However, with the arrival of the al
lies at Coblenz, the work of the en-
pineers was accomplished, and the
Tbirty-seventh was ordered home to
America after nearly years foreign
service.
Field has testimonial from the col
o,el in command of the OUTFIT IN
which the officer commends the UNITS
of his command for the valiant work
they did. A copy of this TESTIMONIAL
was presented each man upon DIS
charge. and Field is very careful OF
his copy. for it is in way, a senti-
ment from the commanding officer to
the men who in no small way helped
the American flag to fly victorious.
Field arrived at Newport News,
Va. March 20, and received his dis
charge papers April 5. A desire to
visit again the city where he spent his
boyhood brought him north from Vlr-
ginia. He sees a few changes here
and many new faces. He, too, is
changed from the lad in process OF
developing into manhood. He is
broad shouldered, tanned and rugged.
After few days here and in other
cities of the east, he expects to return
to Racine, Wis, where his position
with a large manufacturing concern
is awaiting him.