The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1919-05-22
AFTERMATH OF WAR

Aprll 1917 MuHllOWOC mas Hdu lWO
big celebrations; one when the armis-
tice was signed last Novemberc and the
other Monday of this week when the
city and many communities in the
country made holiday to receive our
boys of the 32nd division who marched
to the depot nearly two years ago as
Co. II, Second Wisconsin Infantry
After leaving here the company was
merged with another company and its
local officers were transferred to other
commands. Before going overseas it
lost its identity entirely. Some men
were sent to other organizations. Seven
died in service. Five were killed in ac-
tion or died of wounds. They were:
Lieut. Otto Oas, Corporals Joseph Du-
sold, Robert Hampton and A. Bedford.
Private Bobbie Burns, Privates Lewan-
dowSki and j. Singer died in service
over there. The local boys who re-
manned with the group were attached
to the 32nd division which was on the
battle ground soon after the regulars,
and being all national guardsmen they
needed less preliminary training than
the selected men who followed them.
The division earned the title Les Ter
ribles" from the French They fought
on more fronts (fve) than any Ameri-
can division. They never lost a foot of
ground. In the Argonne-M -Meuse often
sive they fought continuously for 20
days. Some of the boys nave preccd-
ed the main body home because of dis
ability. Some remained in hospitals.
The remnant of Co. ii reached Camp
Grant, Illinois, last Friday and word
came that they would reach home at
p. m. Monday The city set itself to
give them a royal welcome. The town
was gay with bunting. Iha Marine
band was out. The home guards, re-
turned soldiers in uniform, High School
cadets, Boy Scouts and the like waited
to join the parade. Relatives awaited
at the Opera House. The line of
march was lined with citizens.
1t was glorious weather, sunny and |
warm, an ideal day for the welcoming
home of the soldiers.
The train came in on time. The boys,
under direction of Capt Ed. Schmidt, |
under whose command they left town,
formed in line and started through the |
CITY. The peorle who hcI expected |
weather beaten veterans in heavy |
marching order with rifles, packs and |
dangling German helmets as trophies |
could hardly distinguish the returned |
warriors in their spick and span khaki
from the other hundreds of selected |
men in line were it not for the red ar
row indicating their division.
They marched arm in arm with kid |
brothers and fanked by swarms of adj
miring youngsters. There were num-
ber of patriotic features in the pro-
gram but the little group of boys from
Chateau Thierry and the Argonne
was all the people saw. There were
cheers all along the line.
AT the Opera house where relatives
awaited the ceremonies were brief.
Attorney f.. S. Schmitz, who has had
charge of the speakers bureau in the
Fourth and Fifth Liberty loan cam
paignS, made brief address of wei
come. Then the company was dis
missed and the real home welcome
took place. The celebration continued
late into the evening. The band gave
"A concert on the courthouse yeranda
and the streets were thronged all
evening.
lheer was a happy reunion in every
soldier home. Manitowoc has not seen
a like celebration since Co. II came
home in 1898 from the Porto Rican
and it will live long in mem
ory.
The following is a list of Company
II boys who returned Monday:
Sergeant Major-Raymond Schmitz.
Sergeants-Altman, Meyer, Helm
kolar, Peters, Linterier, Klinker.
orporals-Frisch, Noyak, Nimz,
Johnson, Neicher, Kommerow, Smuda,
Cook Singer, Mechanic b. Mrotel,
Schrimpf, Wagner NJ.
Mrotek, Musicians Berkedal, Kohn.
Prvates Mahnke, House, Shell
brock, Sehauer, Markowski, Keune,
Butz, Fischer, Sweet, Christ.
The following returned last Thurs
day night: Albert Lischka, Charles
Carrie, Edward Cerull, Bernard Neh-
ring, Edward Fricke, Milton Herbert,
Walter Open, James Holmes, John
Broecker Joseph Stadl, Edward
Scherer, Frank Beaupice, Frank Vel
cher, Leo Addelman, and Paul Reid
erer.
Bernhardt Nehring of Two Rivers,
who left with Co. IL but who was at
tached to the 41st division, arrived
home last week. He went through all |
the big offensives with the 4lst but
came out unscalhed.
Giles f. Driscoll returned home Sat
urday with his honorable discharge. He
served for twenty months oycrcaac