Evening star., 1919-02-20
SERGT. NELuGER
SAW HOT FIGHTING
D. C. Man Unscathed in Bat
, tIe-HuntIey Cooked for
Pershing.
ARRIVE AT CAMP DIX

From Stan Correspondent
NEW YORK, February 20.-A-
though under fire on more than half
a dozen occasions, First Sergt. F. S,
Nelliger, formerly of Company G of
the old Sd Regiment, District Ma
tional Guard. and now of the ma
chine gun company of the 162d In
fantry, three companies of which
have arrived on the Canopic
from France, came out of it un-
scathed.
War is a great game" Sergt
NaIIiger said. ''but it is played awful
rough"
In Fight at Chateau Thierry.
When he stops to think of the shells
that dropped about him, especially
during the second day of the fiercest
lighting at Chateau Thierry. and con-
siders the hundreds of fine. brave fell
lows who dropped to the ground on
all sides of him, he wonders how he
escaped injury. AS a matter OF fact,
Sergt. Nelliger's actual participation
in the fighting was more or less good
luck on his part as he expresses it.
During the greater part of the six
teen months he was in France he was
active as an instructor in machine
gun warfare at the great training
camp in st. Aignin, France. 1t was
his duty to whip into fighting shape
the various replacement troops which
were constantly arriving at the camp
for instruction.
This work was interesting and most
important, but with all his years OF Ma
tional Guard training and the fighting
spirit of the old Sd Regiment ne always
yearned for an opportunity to get to the
front; to get out in the trenches and do
some shooting instead of continually in
structing and training rockies, who
later were to have the honor he longed
for.
There were times, though, when the
rockies, after completing their training,
had to be taken to the various zones OF
activity. 1t was on these expeditions
that Sergt. Nelliger never failed to make
an effort to be assigned as one of the
on-comnissioned officers to accompany
the men. He was frequently successful.
and it was while going with replacement
troops to take their positions in the
fighting lines that this former District
of Columbia guardsman received his
real taste of modern warfare.
Artillery's Great Part
He was especially impressed with the
great part played by the artillery. One
cannot imagine the deafening noises, he
said. He did not mind 80 much the
shells dropping about him, as he did the
ceaseiess laundering OF the heavy guns.
At one time during the second Marne
campaign he was in the fighting zone
while conveying replacement troops.
The Germans had entered upon most
intense counter attack and there was
considerable shifting of positions. His
diately into action before it had ar
rived at its original destination, and
although his duty as one of the
party was then ended, joined
in and for several hours went through
the most thrilling experience of his life.
On other occasions while in the war
zone and not being assigned to
combatant outfit he aided in every
possible way. He carried water and
messages. He went boldly about in
most hazardous areas, and once ne
brought wounded infantry1nan back
to a place of safety.
D. C. Men Scattered.
Aside from not being in an aetua-
gers greatest regret is the manner in
which the old Sd Regiment of the
District was scattered about after IT
was taken over by the newly formed
4ist Division-the Sunset Division
He said nine of the old guardsmen
went to France in the same company
with him. No one of them was killed
or wounded that he knows Of. but to
date only two remain in 1t, including
himself, the other one being Cook
Samuel w HuntIey, also of Company
G of the old Sd Regiment
Huntley was popular with old Com
pany G, and because Of his cuisine art
he was the hero of g. number of Ma
tionaI Guard encampments and during
the long, dreary days of waiting at
the Mexican border. He enjoyed the
praise of his mates then, but he never
dreamed during those days that it
would ever fall to the lot OF Sam
Huntiey to prepare q meal to be par
taken of by such world heroes as
Gems. Pershing and Petain and half
dozen other noted French and Ameri-
can officers whose names he does not
recall.
Cooked Meal for Pershing.
It was during the occasion OF an
4~;x batn