Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-06-10
IN MONSTER FIGHTS
LIT. DONALD r. GOODING
IN ARGONNE FOREST
AND ST. MIHIEL

"The most terrible offensive l be-
lieve saw while in battle was at Berry,
where our lines were. attacked by
eighteen German aeroplanes, which
counted, though twenty-one were
claimed" declared Lit. Donald R.
Gooding, 122nd Field Artillery, Thirty
third division, who returned to Wau-
sau this morning, accompanied by his
mother, Mrs. E. A. GOoding, who met
him in Chicago, after he had OBJ
tanned his release from the United
States army at Camp Grant, Ill. 1t.
Gooding went overseas in May, 1918,
with the Illinois artillery, soon after
he had obtained a commission at Leon
Springs, Tex, to which Officers Train
ing school he went from Camp Logan,
Tex.
AS many as 32 killed and so men
wounded, 1t. Gooding declares were
recorded in the aeroplane attack
which was coupled with an artillery
fight and incessant machine gun fire.
The falling of one bomb observed by
him, he describes as follows: ut came
from the sky suddenly, seeming to
cause the whole earth to heave, then
a binding fash occurred with an ex-
plosion fully as high as two story
building swallowing the horses and
carriages near" One man whom he
saw was blue in the face, dead and
lying on his back, aid apparently been
killed simply by conclusion, the bomb
having fallen not fifteen feet from
him. There was no wound to be seen.
The effects of a bomb are serious even
at 100 yeards distance.
In st. Mihiel
Landing at Liverpool the 122nd Field
Artillery went through England and
crossed the channel to LeHavre,
France, going to lie Val Dahon for in
tensive training. On August 2S, 1t
Gooding went into action on the Toul
sector remaining there until Sept. II
when the st. Mihiel offensive COM
menced. That fight lasted two days
and Immediately at it's conclusion the
122nd F. A. was shifted to the Argonne
Forest, where it participated in the
memorable fight which was carried on
so valiantly by Americans. The Ar
gonne Forest, 1t. Gooding AYERS, is a
| thick woods, almost impossible, in
| which there are cement pits and barb
| wire galore, and other Notifications
placed there by the Germans when
| they first came into it's control, which
| made it's taking almost an inconceiv-
able feat. In one portion of the woods
| he tells of a friend, who saw an
American doughboy, dead, his body
| lying over the muZzle of a German
machine gun-and his bayonet pierre
| ing the body of the German machine
gunner, his final effort evidently hav-
ing been a successful lunge at him
When in action, 1t. Gooding declares
| the doughboys rarely carried more
| than their slicker, dropping everything
| else on their way to the front.
A month after the signing of the
| armistice the 122nd F. A. was or
dered to Luxembourg, where it ar
rived On Jan. s at Colmar-Berg. "The
country is beautiful" the lieutenant
says, but there was nothing for us
| to do but eat and sleep. Oftentimes
we did not have anything to read We
were transferred at this time from
the LIST Army. with which we had
fought, to the 3rd Army. You bet
| am glad to be home" During his
period in action, 1t. Gooding fought
| behind the 32nd, 91st, seth and the Isl
Divisions. Wausau friends welcome
| him back to the city and will be
| pleased to learn that he intends tC
| locate here with his father, E. A
Gooding, in the Wisconsin Box com
pany.