Newark post., 1919-04-16
1.-THE DAY | WAS WOUNDED"
HEROES OF CASUAL co. No. 345 TELL THRILLING
EXPERIENCES
A FEW EXTRACTS FROM VALUABLE COLLECTION
OWNED BY IT. M r. MITCHELL ARE
HERE GIVEN

we did our final hike in France and
that was to the boat-the thing l was
looking forward to ror a long time.
We got on the "Coronia," a large
ocean liner.
81 am writing this little experience
on the boat which is making good tirnu
towards New York on it's last lap to-
wards home"
Private John Holmgren, of Com
pany B, 321st Machine Gun Battalion
calls his experience "a Trip to Paris"
He says, "In the early morning hours
of Oct. Is 1 eased my head over the
edge of shell hole in Argonne, which
had been my sleeping quarters for the
night The roar of the guns had ceas-
ed and there was a fearful silence on
the attlefield-fearful because knew
that there was zero hour when No
Mans Land would be hell and our
temporary dug-outs made targets for
Jerry's whizzbangs and 5x9's, not to
mention all the machine guns l saw
through imagination's magnifying
glasses.
This far in my charlottesville
Sergeant came rolling down beside me
and told me that they were going to
put over a barrage and needed more
ammunition. Being an ammunition
carrier in a machine gun battalion, it
was my duty to carry ammunition
from the dump to the gun. This dump
was located in an old quarry about
cne mile back of our positions. | and
a few of my companions started off
and got to the dump ali right, picked
up the ammunition, and as it seemed
a good safe place, we decided to rest
before going back.
"We had just lit our cigarettes and
were discussing the problem of get
ting breakfast somewhere (this being
the second day without anything to
eat)-when crash, a shell exploded
and scattered US all over the place.
Seven of us from the same company
got wounded and a few from other
organizations. This was at nine
o'clock in the morning, none of us
were wounded very badly, so we walk
ed to the dressing station and had
/ first aid From the dressing station
we were sent to field hospital where
we received plenty of food and where
we could rest and let the nerves relax
from the strain of the exploding
shells.
"On the fourth day l was trans,
ferred to the Evacuation Hospital anC
on toa French hospital train, and or
a fine Sunday morning we arrived ii
Paris where | spent two months il
care of the Red Cross. Mother coulc
not have cared for US any better thar
they did.
"God bless the Red Crossw
Private Hugh R. Gates, of Chen
ango Forks, N Y, tells of going tt
get horses from Southern France ant
returning to his outfit through darl
woods with a Boche sending owe
shells that were falling pretty close tt
him. He got back just in time to G,
up the lines with his company and t.
go over the top with them the seconC
night. A hard fight was put up b,
the Boche and harder one by tn
Americans. Out of this fight he cam
unhurt.
He continues, 81 carried rations on
night across the river (the Vesle) fo
Co. G in the front lines nearly al
night and while we were passing tn
German lines, the Boche put over a
awful barrage and l had to cree
ducking every minute to keep fror
getting killed. 1t was an awful har
night | put in.
81 was back in the support lines tn
last of August when the Boche pu
over an awful barrage about two rod
from my dugout. My lieutenant wa
in one and a shell burst at the end G
his dugout and tore hole in tn
, ground about big enough to set