The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1919-06-12
CONDITIONS SEEN AS THEY
REALLY EXISTED OVERSEAS

J tnnStef a ncnucfson, DfotHtT OF
~. r.. Henderson. bookkeeper At the
Avalanche, returned home from over
seas the latter part Of last week. Mr..
Henderson enlisted last July and
went to Camp Travis. where he re
manned only few days until he was
placed in the 156th Infantry Of the
39th Division Less than month
after he arrived there, they were
sent to New York August 22nd they
sailed for overseas Eleven conveys
made the trip across together in
eleven days. landing ut Brest Sep
TENDER 3rd They were in Brcst on
/ ~ few days until they were ordered
TO st. Florence whore they were bill
leted in small villages unit! trans
ferred TO other divisions, because the
39th viii be remembered as re-
placement division. Up until this
time there had been very few, il any.
American soldiers in that part OF
France. On September the 18th Mr.
Henderson was placed with the 355th
Infantry of the S9th Division, which
was at that time enroute TO the
Euvezin sector, or better known as
st, Mihiel From there we find that
the Company which Mr. Henderson
was with, going 10 the Meuse Here
they were held up two or three days,
waiting for transportation across
From the Meuse they were ordered TO
the Argonne forest, at which place
we find them when the armistice was
signed
Mr. Henderson was very modest
in speaking of his experience while
overseas 10 the reporter Account
many Of the returning soldiers have
told things. which were not believed
by other men who saw service over
seas. But nevertheless he apprc-
ciates the fact that his friends who
remained at home, are wanting all
the information that they can get as
to the conditions that really existed
overseas And from his conversa-
tions with friends and acquaintance
we find many interesting facts,
which win go to show that Mr. Hen
derson had his eyes opened while
there Some of the really interest
ing things that he found there were
German ignorance, especially among
the so-called lower classes. which
were the backbone Of the German
fighting units, OF the governmental
conditions They were held in abso-
lutte ignorance Of the points of want
age even that were taken or lost on
the battle front In case certain
sector was defeated and driven back,
they were told il was only small
sacrifice made to gain bigger advant-
ages Americans were thought to
be a wild, uncivilzed Indian. and to
fall into their hands would mean
death" Imagine their surprise,
when three or four Germans were the
first 10 be captured al St Mihiel. az
ter being told by an American sol.
der that they would not be hurt II
they surrendered. In fact we find they
were as ignorant Of military and gov
eminent conditions 'as the Mexican
peon."
Another of the peculiar instances
which at this time is history, is that
the American soldiers, who were the
cause Of the defeat Of the German
army are now the most thought-of
soldiers In Germany and are treated
with much more respect by the civil
ian populace than any other nation
atty there Now when the boys are
leaving there, men, women and boys
are out telling them goodbye and
waving their handkerchiefs to their
heroes who came over and freed
them from the Kaiser and his rule.