The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-09-09
DON WILKES, WITH
FIRST "OVER THERE, "
IS BACK IN A ARDMO RE

Don Wilkes son of Mrs. Effie Wilkes,
has returned home after 2S months IN
the service, "a months and II days OF
which time he served overseas
Mr. Wilkes was one Of the first Ard
more boys to enlist in the service and
is among the last to return.
He enlisted May "a, 1917, going to Fort
Logan, Colorado. From there he was
sent to Fort Bliss, I'll Paso Texas
where he remained only one and Il
hall months, sailing from New YORK.
July %, with Battery G, 5th Field
Artillery, First Artillery Brigade OF
the First Division, in which he re
manned throughout his entire service.
The history of the First Division,
which was the first American contin'
gent to sail overseas, has been told
many times, and will continue to be
told in the ages to come, and will al
ways be heard with the ever growing
amount of interest, for each soldier
gives his account from a different eN-
perience. each passing lightly over the
hardships, laughing i'm remembrance
of times that were serious enough at
the time Of happening, and confinng
himself, more or less, to bare facts
with here and there bit OF personal
history all Of which blends together
and tells the story of the wonderful
spirit of the American soldier, truly the
idol of the world
And so it is with the story herein
related.
81 wouldn't have missed it for
worlds. | wouldn't take a million dol
lars for what have seen and expert
enced, and ! wouldn't take hundred
million to so through with it again,
MIR. Wilkes said.
The Soldiers Story
After a month and a half of train
ing at Valdehom, which is only IL
llilometers from the Swiss border, the
First Division went into the front
lines oct. %, 1917 on the Lunevile sec
tor. eve were Of course in training
with the French army.
1T was on the Lunevlle sector that
the first three Americans, Gresham
Enrght and Hayes, were killed. These
boys were in the 10th Infantry, of the
personally, but l attended their tuner'
ais
I'VE were in this sector II days ana
from there went into winter quarters
near Gondrccourt remaining there uh'
til Jan. -, 1918. OF course we were
in little skirmishes now ana theh'
but nothing really big.
,.LHr,p, TanIrrspIlrt 4 we entered the
sector known as the sector northwest
of Toul,' really the Ansanville sector
We remained there until April 3. Ihis
was the first sector held independent
ly by the American forces.
From Toul we loaded on trains
for the Picardy front, this was really
the MontdidierNoyan defensive. we
STAYED here from May 4 to July l. Dur
ing this time, ii was on May 2S, we
captured Cantigny, the first town cap
tured by American forces. BY captul
ing Cantigny we brought to stop the
big German offensive, when they We're
making Il drive to the coast, to cut OIL
the English. The town was captured
by the 2Sth Infantry, which now mas
on its colors two CroiX de Queries with
Palms.
Many things happened during this
norind Nav to .IuIy r OF course the
,,,a.t ir,nnrt,rt beinp the capture of
,,antigny hut if was on July / the
First Edison mustard gas was 1lred'
There were 4S shots to each gun on
the front-iust as salute from ~
s,aot states-AIv. those were great
doys we would send over just about
fiye times as many shots as the enemy
and the division was cited many times
nv the commanding general ON July
4 we also held the first horse show
in the 4 e. F.. this was held at Far
tigrv
"On the eth we were relieved by the
French and started back to a rest
,o,,u rr.narinp as we went, to par
o1e in paris .Iulv 1G. En- route we
recaivad orders to return to the front
and turning back we hiked 1O2 Eilo-
,,otors i'm IL hours. This took us about
* ,loneters from scissors. We went
T., batween scissors and Chateau
,rbier,.v
"rhis hattie was known as the Sec.
ord Battle of the Alarue. in the Aisnc.
Marine offensive. We went in Juy Is,
and were relieved July 2G by the 18th
scottish Division Much has been said
about the Rcueau Wood and Chateau
rrhio,ry hut there were hundreds Of
.pella,u Woods in the Argonue Forest,
hnt there was a long interval between
thoso two affairs and that can come