Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-14
COL. MINER TELLS
OFPENNA. FIGHTERS
AND HOW THEY WON
Will Not Talk of Own Gallantry, But Says Regiment Is
Damn Fine Organization If Any One Should
Ask; Is on His Way to Wilkes Barre

Philadelphia, Jan. IA. - Colonel
Asher Miner, whose left leg was shot
off during the terrific fighting in the
Argonne Forest last october, is on his
way to his home in Wilkes Barre,
which city he left in command of the
One Hundred and Ninth Field Artil-
lery eighteen months ago.
He stopped in Philadelphia Sum
day night. Since his arrival in Amer
lea on December 2S he has been a
patient in the Walter Read Hospital
in Washington.
He has the Distinguished Service
Cross for gallantry in action. He
wears the red keystone on his shoul-
der, the badge of honor of the Iron
Division. On his left sleeve is the
gold service stripe; on his right, the
gold chevron which tells of his
wound.
But these honors will not outshine
the welcome with which his home folk
will greet their hero.
1t is altogether probable he will
not talk of his honors or his wound
when he reaches Wilkes-Barre. He
wouldn't at the Bellevue -Stratford
Hotel.
"If you want to write a story" he
said, write about the regiment"
Proud of the Regiment
The Colonel added. with a wink
and proud nod of the head:
IT'S damn fine regiment If any
one should ask you"
He limped through the hotel COR
ridor on crutches, the left leg of his
trousers pinned with safety pins
above the knee. He sank back into
divan with the tired abandon of a
veteran and with veterans glow
in his eye.
Talk about the regiment. OF
course, he would. He always will
day from the time he was wounded
on October 4 until now.
He will not talk of his own decora-
tion, awarded, according to the Off
cial citation. for extraordinary hero
ism in action" but he speaks with
the pride of a father of more recent
decorations which some of his young
officers have just received in Bel
gium.
Colonel Miser held in his hand a
letter from his son. CAPTAIN Robert
c. Miner, commanding Battery d in
the One Hundred and Ninth. The
letter related how Captains Elliott,
Atherton, Troxell, Evans. Major Nc
Lean and Lieutenant-Colon Fuller,
all of wilkes Barre, and Captain Min
er himself received the Belgian War
Cross.
Others in the regiment who re-
ceived the cross, in recognition of
their services in helping drive the
Hun from Belgium. were Lieutenant
Colonel Fuller, who succeeded Colo
mel Miner in command of the regi-
ment, and Captain Wood.
It's still my regiment" to Colonel
Miner, and, to repeat, II is altogether
proba BILE that he will tell the Wilkes
Barre people about these later dec
orations from the Belgian King be-
fore he remembers to tell them of his
own Distinguished Service Cross.
How They Crossed the VesIe
And when the Wilkes Barre people
ask the Colonel for a story of how
their boys, with those from Hazle-
ton, Pittston, Nanticoke and other
towns, many of them rugged Polish
coal miners who probably had never
seen a gun bigger than a double bar
relied shotgun before they went to
the Mexican Border two or three
years ago-when they ask the Colo
mel how these boys behaved in ac-
ton. he will tell the story of the
crossing of the Vesle river early last
September.
Here's the story, as he told it:
1.-The regiment had been ordered to
cross the river, in the suppositiofl
that the infantry had advanced be-
yond the river. We were to hurry
to their support.
"As a matter of fact. the infantry
on the right flank of the attack had
not advanced as far as we had sup
posed. But we had the orders, and
We picked the first battalion to start
the crossing and make way. IL pos
sible. for the remainder OF the regi-
ment s
"The engineers had thrown tenn
porary bridge across the river. in
place of the one destroyed by the
| Germans in their retreat. The road
which led up to the bridge was un-
@1- s-@- whAra the road made :