The Washington herald., 1919-04-10

As these thoughts flashed through
our minds an order came to retreat
The enemy letss barrage down in
front OF US. The retreat was even
worse than the advance. By the time
we got back to our trenches there
were only IS of our company left alive,
About a third of the go were dead
The larger part of the wounded were
In No Mans Land. and their cries of
pain and prayers for help or death
gaxe. w no peace.
The remnant of our company
crouched in the trench. exhausted.
dazed, incredulous of their escape
from injury. We were hungry and
thirsty and would have welcomed
dry and safe place 10 recover our
poise. But there we were. smarting
under the defeat by the enemy's
barbed wire barrier. with the heart
tearing appeals for succor coming
from our comrades. Deeper and deep
er they cut into my soul. They were
SO plsintive. like the voices Of hurt
children.
In the dark it seemed to me that
saw their faces, the familiar faces Of
Ivan and Peter and Sergei and Militia,
the good fellows who had taken such
tender care of me. making a comfort
plushka, or taking of their overcoats
in cold weather and spreading them
on the muddy road TO provide dry
seat for Yashka- They called me. I
could see their hands outstretched in
my direction, their wide-open eyes
straining in the night in expectation
of rescue. the death pallor Of their
countenances. Could i remain indif-
ferent to their pleasf Wasn't II my
bounden duty as a soldier as impor-
tant as that of fighting the enemy,
to render aid to stricken comrades?
1 climbed out Of the trench and
crawled under our wire entangle-
| ments. There was a comparative calm.
! interrupted only by occasional rife
shots, when would lie down and re-
main modoniess, initiating a corpse
Within a few feet OF our line there
were wounded. carried them one by
/ one TO the edge Of our trench where
they were picked up and carried TO
the rear. The saving of one man
stimulated me to continue my labors.
till reached into the far side of the
field. Here / had several narrow es-
capes, sound. made involuntarily,
/ was sufficient to attract several bull
| lets, and only my anticipating that
by fsttening myself against the
ground saved me. When dawn broke
in the east, putting an end to my
expeditions through No Mans Land,
had accounted for about 80 lives.
] had no idea at the time of what
l had accomplished. But when the
soldiers whom / had picked UP were
brought to the relief station and asked
who rescued them, about 50 replied.
"Yashka." This was communicated
/ to the commander. who recommended
I me for an Order of the 4th degree.
for distinguished valor shown in the
saving of many lives under FIRE"
Our kitchen had been destroyed the
previous night by the enemy's FIRE.
and we hungered. Our ranks were
! filled by fresh drafts, and our artil-
! lery again doomed all day. playing
havoc with the enemy's wire fences.
We knew that it meant another order
! to advance the following night. and
! our expectations proved correct. At
about the same hour as the previous
| morning we climbed out and started
| on the run for the enenny's position.
! Again a rain Of shells and bullets,
AGAIN scores of wounded and killed.
/ again smoke and gas and blood and
I mud. But we reached the wire para