Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-01-24
FRANK HEEHN, FIRST
VETERAN, RETURNS
Saw Much Action on West
ern Front from May to
December. Tells of
His Experiences.

he dEE1N6Q OdUuIQdy HUN O1I11P vi diC
where he had been honorably dis
charged with record Of service that
is thrilling.
Frank was one of Villas county's
first lads to leave for Camp Grant last
year. After a brief period Of training
there he started overseas, leaving Ho-
boken, N. J., May 10Th. After an eight
day voyage that was devoid of any ex-
citement in the way of submarines, he
landed at Brest, May 24th A months
training on French soil and his COM
pany went into action with the Aus
tralian troops before Amiens on the
northern part of the line the latter
part of June. When it comes to light
ing Frank is full of admiration for
the Australians. Their method OF
handling the Hun came right up to
the Yank's standard and they sa W
continuous service in the Albert Sec
tor, the town by that name soon be-
ing captured by the combined efforts
of the Yanks and the Australians.
After the fall of Albert, the Yanks
were sent farther south on the line
and were thrown in on the Marine to
stop the big drive the Germans were
making for Paris last July. Then fol-
lowed Ligny, Chateau Theirry, Beflau
Wood and the battles of The Argonne
where the Yanks got in their big work
that put the runon the kaisers troops.
All bridges across the Marne had been
destroyed and it was necessary for the
Yanks to swim the river and dig in on
the other side under heavy fire.
Frank says there are easier things
than swimming a river under fire and
then having to dig on the other side.
But they did it and from that time on
there was nothing too good for them
at the hands of the French inhabl-
tants. The French people had told
the Yanks they feared for the safety
of their beloved Paris. When the
Huns arrived, the outlook was pretty
dark and the sight of one French
cemetery on that famous river con-
tanning forty Thousand little crosses for
the heroes who had stopped the Ger
man invasion in 1914 brought feeling
of dread to the French inhabitants
lest they could not stop them again.
But the Yanks arrived in time, drove
them back across the river and never
let up until the Germans sued for an
armistice early in November.
After seeing much action in that
sector, Frank was removed still
further up the line above Verdun.
Then came the drive on Metz and it
was there that he was gassed, October
Both. A gas shell landed about ten
feet away from him, fairly smother
ing him with mustard gas. In spi tie
of his gas mask the poison landed full
on his face, binding him and burning
off most of his hair. he was taken to
Base Hospital "a at Limoges and lay
there for eleven days totally blind and
deaf. After his sight ard hearing
were restored he was transferred to
Base Hospital % at Bordeaux, where
he remained until December 18th
when he was invalided home. He ar
rived at Hampton roads, December 80,
and was transferred to Camp Grant
to be mustered out. His honorable
discharge is dated January 18th.
Frank tells many interesting stories
of his service in France. His division
saw some of the heaviest lighting of
the whole campaign. From the time
he first went up into the front line
trenches he was in the thick of it un-
til gassed and put out of action the
latter part of October, spending 81
days in the trenches at one time.
Rest periods were few for that divi-
sion but not too few for the fighters.
His company suffered heavily. When
they landed at Brest it had full war
strength of $50 men. On their way up
to the front to aid the Australians a
Hun plane dropped a bomb on them
and killed ten outright. That was
FRANKS first sight of real casualties.
From that time on the losses were
severe and when the company finally
reached Metz to make up the army OF
occupation only six members re-
NAMED. The others had 'gone west"
or were suffering from gas and wounds
in hospitals back of the lines.
The battles of the Argonne were
the fiercest Frank was in. There they
were thrown against the Prussian
Guard and in the fighting that fol
lowed just about annihilated them.
Most of his work was with machine
gun squad as advance post guard and
he was in the thick of it continually.
Day after day he would go over the
top and mix it with the Hun getting
plenty of real fighting at close quart
ers. On one occasion while making
an advance, his shrapnel helmet was
struck three times with machine gun
bullets. He treasured that helmet
above all else and carried it all over
France, only to lose it when he was
taken to the hospital after being
gassed.
In speaking of the fighting ability