Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-05-13
PERSHING SEES
LOCAL. BATTERY
: PASS IN REVIEW
C0mmander-in-Ch Chief Views Rock
IsIand-MOIiHe Unit With the
Rest of Thirty Third.
C0NFERS BATTLE STREANERS.
Three Ribbons AdoD COIOrs of
One Hundred Twenty Third
Field Artillery.
BY CORP. W. W. MUENCH.

zone Hundred Twenty-Third Field
Artillery
Lintgen, Luxembourg, Germany
April 23.-This has been a day Of
rest. having been SO ordered by
general headquarters, it beng the
day following the inspection and
review by General Pershing.
The boys have been preparing
for this event for some time and
all are glad it is. over with, and
also of the chance to get a good
selose-up Of the commander-in-
CHIEF.
1t was an ideal day for an event
. of this sort. At $50 we boarded
trucks that took us to Ettlebrlcke,
where we unloaded and marched to
the place for the review. 1t was
indeed an ideal place for an event
Of this kind and size. 1t is in a
valley that is entirely surrounded
by hills that rise so abruptly that
they form a natural grandstand
( for spec1 ators, which, By the way
were of a great number, people
coming Fl ON miles around to wit
bles prosE ect park in many re-
8
Everything had been Drearrang
ed so that each organization could
be marched into its proper place
without delay y
BY Il o'clock all organizations
of the division were in position.
General Bell came out and gave a
few final instructions. After this
we were given.'a sandwich and a
cup of coffee.
At 1880 General Pershing and
his stan made their appearance.
The general was accompanied By
Secretary of War Baker. William
Yates of Illinois, land British and
Belgian general.
InSpeets Division.
= As the general rode out on his
mount the four fiOurishes ami gen
erals call was sounded and ali
commands were brought 10 atten-
ton. He then rode around the di-
vision accompanied by General
Bell. After dismOunting, he start
ed on the right to inspect the EN-
tire division, going through the
ranks of each organization stop
ping occasionally to ask an enlist
ed man a question or two. He gem
orally stopped in front Of a man
wearing a wound chSavron, asking
the nature of the y nd where
received. and ii the man was all
right He stopped in front of a
maj IN the rank just If front of
US, who had been wounded Here
is the conversation:
Where were you wounded, my
boy?''
IN the Meuse-Argonne offensive,
sir"
What were you doing at the
time you received your wound %
Serving the piece, SIR
The general simply smiled. 1t is
a real treat to see him smile. His
countenance is very commanding
and stern.
After inspecting all units. he
decorated 81 men of the division,
some with the congre ssional medal
of honor, others with the disting-
uished service cross, Major Gen
eral Bell being amoMg these. After
this the regimental colors OF the
various regiments were decorated
with streamers, upon which is
printed tae major operations in
which they took part. Upon the
streamers that adorn the colprs of
the One Hundred Twenty-third
field artillery is. printed the three
following battles in which 1t took
part: ST. Mihiel offensive. Sept.
Meuse-Azrgonne offensive,
Sept. 26 to Oct 70; Meusc-Argonne
offensive, Nov. TO Nov. II.
Pass in Review.
After the ceremony OF deeorat-
ing had been finished the entire di-
vision passed In review in massed
formation. From. the descriptions
OF the eye-witnes9es from the hill
side it must have been a pretty
sight, seeing these. 10000 soldiers.