The Era-leader., 1919-07-03
men, TEN
WOMEN, DIE IN "Y
SERVICE OVERSEAS
Sacrifice ProportionateIy One.Quarter
as Great as That of Army
Sixty.Three Decorated.

The Y. Nj. G. A. carried the Red Tri'
angle into the camps and trenches
abroad at cost of ffty-three lives,
sacrifice proportionately one-quarter
as great as that of the American
ermy, according to statement issued
today by the National War Work
Council of the Y. NJ. G. A. Of these
fatalities thirty-five were due to dis.
ease, and the remainder to shell.f1re,
bombs, gas-fever, drowning and
wounds. Ten Of these were women,
one of whom was killed by shell fire
and the other in a German air raid.
There were also flfty-five non-fatal
casualties. These were due princi'
pally to machine gun fire, gas, shell
fire. and motor transport accidents.
Numerous cases of slight wounds and
gasslngs which were attended at dress.
Ing stations, but were not reported to
headquarters. are not included.
These casualties occurred in force
which at no time exceeded 1900 work
crs, of whom it is reckoned that more
than one-half were never sent to the
front, being employed in the hundreds
of huts maintained throughout the
training areas and the "leave areas"
Sixty-three "Y" workers were deco
rated, while in all more than 152 re-
ceived official recognition or distin.
guished service. Thirteen of these
were decorated with the Croix de
Guerre, while forty-eight received
other decorations. Of these three re-
ceived the Distinguished Service Cross,
three the Order of st. Stanislaus; five
the italian Cavaliere del Corona {;
thirty-eight the italian War Cross, and
one the French decoration Of the
| Corps d'Armee. Seven were cited for
the Croix de Guerre, and seven for
other decorations, six commended for
meritorious conduct, and twenty.nine
received honorable mention in dis
patches. Several units were cited in
their entirety, those serving with the
Third division being cited twice. More
than a score more reported decorations
have not yet been confirmed.
Not one of these men under thirty
was fit for military duty, but the cita-
tions show that they carried on with
the same courage and spirit that iden-
tilted Americans throughout the war.
These records show that they went
over the top with the assaulting
waves, that they exposed themselves
under machine gun and shell fire to
minister to the wounded, that they
worked indefatigably as stretcher
bearers, and that they drove ambu.
lances into the midst of battle to res
cue the wounded.
Others were sacrificed in the less
heroic but no less necessary work be-
hind the lines. Among these stands
out Miss Winona Martin of Rockville
Center, L. l., Y. M. G. A. secretary,
who was the first American woman
killed in the war. She was killed by
bomb during German air raid,
and her death made deep impression
on American minds.
Miss Martin had been In Paris only
q month, but had already done valu-
able work in stimulating an interest
among the soldiers in the Y. NJ. G. A.
in Paris.
Miss Marion G. Crandell of Ala.
media, CAL, killed by shell fire near
Chalons March 26, 1918, was another
Of the women sacrificed in helping the
soldiers.
Officials were quick to see and ap-
| preciate meritorious work, on the part
of the secretaries and prompt to recog.
| nize 1t officially. Major General Dick
man of the Third division gave par.
ticularly strong citation of the units
attached to that division, consisting Of
thirty-four men and six women.
A later commendation Of the same
units was ordered by Major General
HOwse.
Major General Henry T. Allen of the
Ninetieth division in letter to the
Divisional Y. M. G. A. secretary said: {:
"Two secretaries, f. A. Dawes and b.
F. Ford, actually went over the top
with the assaulting battalions and car.
ried on their work in the midst of
the severest losses"
The Y. NJ. G. A. honor roll OF those
who gave up their lives while help
ing the soldiers win the war, and Of
those who distinguished themselves in
this work, contains the names of the
following men from the Southern
Military department: DR.. John H.
Clifford, Tucson, Ariz., awarded Croix
de Guerre; Thomas Neil Jefferson
Eden. Tex, awarded Italian Croix
dc Guerre; William Alsa Miller, Aus.
| tin, Tex. awarded italian rro,r do