The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1919-03-21
CORP. D0OLEY
Was in THICK
OF FIGHTING

interesting letter from his cousin
Corporal Frank Dooley of the Motor
Truck Company No. 433, American ex
peditionary force, who is now in Ger
many He incloses number of post
cards showing some of the hills
crossed on the way, views of street
scenes in towns visited, and the fol
lowing: "This is the Rhine, now called
the Ryan. The ferry and the little
building with the clock on it are not
flying the German flag now; neither is
the old fort on the hill across the
river"
Corporal Dooley gives the following
account of his experiences since en-
tering the war:
"Coblenz, Germany, Jan. 2, 1919.
Dear Cousin George: For the first
time in a long while l have found time
to write few lines to you. We are
up here keeping the watch on the
Rhine for while, and hoping we will
be relieved before long. don't know
whether. or not I have written you
since / came over, but I will try and
give description of my experiences
anyway. We left Jacksonville, Fla,
on July 5, 1918, and arrived at New
port News, Va, in the forenoon of the
Sth, and on the afternoon of the 10th,
at 1870, we hiked to the boat which
was in Hampton Roads. Got there at
the 18th day of August, and were
6 a. m. boarded transport Aeolius at
7:30, and sailed out at $3.50 a. m. 1t
was an informed German passenger
ship, and on our trip carried around
1000 and crew. 1t had big five
inch gun on the front and one on the
back end of the ship, and a few guns
on the top, which we could not see.
When we got under way there were
thirteen transports and big battle
ship in our convoy. We made the
trip without many scares, and en-
countered a little rough weather
when we hit the Bay of Biscay, off
the coast of France, what was then
called the war zone We landed
after eleven days on the water, at
Brest, France, July 81, 1918. We
stayed there about week and went
via box car to St. Nazaire, where we
STAYED two more weeks. We were
then shipped to the city OF Dion, just
outside the zone of advance, aud were
called out at IL p. m. about the 18th
Of August and given our trucks at
big motor truck assembly park there
and sent to the front. We travelled
about two days and got into the city
Of youl, in the Toul sector, which was
rret,y lively then, making preEara-
+;ons for the drive on st. Mihiel and
Metz.
"Wen, George, we hauled ammuni-
ton and rations to every nook and
corner on the front, and about six
DAYS before the drive opened we
hau,ed'the shock troops down on the
line te open the drive. Talk about
hot pace! About two nights before
the rive opened I hauled the ma
chino gun company of the Third bat
taliel, Twenty-eighth infantry, down
on ne line, and that was what | call
NV worst night in hell. The lads l
ha in my car had gone over the top
a,Soissons and Chateau Thierry, and
r got in such heavy shellfire and
uche plane dropping ninety-pounders
Ill around us, that those lads left the
truck, so you can imagine how bad
it was when those lads couldn't stand
it. And believe me, I went to the dug
out with them. Them sure were some
nights!
"Then on the morning the drive
opened, September u, 1918, our ar
tillery put up barrage from l a. m.
till 5 a. m. That was supposed to be
the worst barrage ever given the
Fritzies. I was down among the light
field artillery, and thought the world
had come to an end.
.'WeH, George, we were never taken
out. We stayed in it every day, and
the armistice went into effect on the
18th of November at II a. M, and
was up in the vicinity of Thiacourt,
France. could have driven into
Metz in fifteen minutes from where ]
was when the whole works stopped.
Then we were told we had been picked
for the occupation army and to keep
on the Dutchmen's heels.
II hauled the headquarters OF the
31Oth field signal battalion, which was
operating the advance wireless sta
lions and aero stations Of communities
ton lines. We went across the old
line half way between verdun and
Metz and into Luxembourg. drovej
by the duchess palace and saw the
Duchess Adelaide. who has since alb