The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-16

Corporal John II. Level. the au<
thor of the following sideiights on
the oversee experience of the s7th
Division, enlisted in the old 7rst
Regiment, N. G. N. Y. on June ~.
1916, and saw service on the Mexi-
can border. His outfit in France
was Company II, rosth Infantry.
He was captured by the Germans At
st. SoupIet. October II, 1918. and
remained prisoner until after the
aEmistiee.
BY Corporal JOHN H. LEVEL.
"HE battlecry Of the Twenty
seventh is ''Mineola." If you
- don't believe it ask the moon
sinners down in the mountains Of South
Carolina, the sobs on the convoy that
took the unit across. the Froggies in
Brest, the Flemish in Belgium and the
fommies and Jerrys along the north Of
the western front.
Along in the spring Of II, when they
were just as anxious to get across as
they are now to get home, the rumor
was floating around Camp Wadsworth
that the division was to go to Mineola
for a short stay previous to sailing.
Some bird said he had letter from a
friend who had seen the different
buildings at the camp marked los, LOG,
10I, 10s, &C.; papers Stated that officers
were securing rooms in the neighbor-
hood and that the Twenty seventh
would soon be in the North. So we
lived in hopes of body
was talking about it.
:. One night when a company OF the
10th had been dismissed after retreat
rear raniSer shouted "Mineola!" The
word was soon being shouted after n
formal meeting OF any kind all over
The camp. Sometimes p whole COM
Jisny would break out with the new
war whoop.
over the Top and Through Barrase
1t followed the units on hikes and
even the mountsineers at the rife
range at CLASSY Rock heard 1t from
the warriors. When the units went
forward under a barrage the start was
always made with lot of doughboys
shouting "Mineola." A night late in
the spring the 105th was camped half
way between the range and Spartan
burg. having pitched dog tents. About
o'clock a long ribbon OF FIRE which
might have been a shooting star was
seen falling through the sky. Those
who had not gone to bed awoke their
comrades in the dog tents, and soon
the whole camp was watching this
strange light in the sky. Just as II
faded out some one shouted Min
eola!" and the whole camp took 1t up
and carried it on.
IN the mimic war at Wadsworth,
where the New Workers lived in the
trenches for two and three days and
went over the top at an imaginary foe,
the welkin rang with "Mineola." One
morning a unit jumped of accom-
panied by English and French officers,
and the National Guardsmen shouted
''Mineola." After the charge a French
officer said:
Wat ees thees. zee Meeneola? I
have not heard it in zee trench be-
fore"
At baseball games when some Yank
cracked out homer, when pretty girls
passed along the camp roads in autos,
when lucky guy rolled natural" in
n big company street crap game, there
was always some nut .ready with the
death cry So IL WIS on the drill fields
al Wadsworth. in the bayonet charges
and bombing practice.
Marked Unusual Happenings.
They left old Wadsworth singing
''Mineola" from the rear end of train
platforms; and up through the South
err States to Camp HILL Newport
News. the civies heard the strange
word. Lining the rails of boats steam
ing out OF the harbor at Newport
News they sent back the cry OF Min
cola" Sailors heard II on the boats
during boxing bouts, and at any un-
usual happening in the regular routine.
One day as the convoy was nearing
Europe the guns OF two destroyers
spoke to an upturned floating lifeboat.
The shells were ripping the water
around two of the transports, and
many thought an attack was being
made by Jerry raider. There was
considerable excitement on all the
ships. A rush was made for the life
boats. No sooner had the shots
rung out than some doughboy whooped
"Mineols," and others Joined in as they
scrambled for place on the boat deck.
There was real attack by couple
Of subs the rext day, and while the
destroyers we're scooting over the
water And dropping cepth charges. the