Evening star., 1919-04-14
BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

Billeted in quaint, little old F'rench
country villages are hundreds of Dis
trict soldier lads. They have been told
10 get ready to return home Lo'eo
ones in Washington have been ap-
prised that those youngsters Will DC
here soon. But when.
On the great ocean liners which are
rtiShing back and forth across the
Atlantic between French and Amer1-
ctn ports are little cards in the rooms
Of. pra ctically every captain. which
SIZED light upon the subject upon
these are printed the approximate
early debarkation dates of every unit
iTt.the American expeditlonary force.
Next to the last unit on this list is
the 2sth Division. to which the
HEth Field Artillery, formerly the
Tesident's Own Cavalry unit is
AhAached. With this division also Is
SVmpany b, Signal Corps OF the DIS
National Guard At the 1901 OF
Lh6s sailing list is the 18th DIVISION;
-posed chiefly of Maryland and
Bt6rict of Columbia draft troops
G6sth are scheduled to leave France
S1sly in June. Through the taking
SFr of large number of German pas
~ ger ships through the agreements
Hehed between the German govern
nNnt and the allied food commission
t63S date may be moved up, but IL Is
hardly probable that either of the
divisions containing the majority OF
the Districts fighting lads will get
away from France before the latter
part of May. inasmuch as Gen. Per-
shing has insisted that, outside of the
army of occupation in Germany, the
units longest in France shall be the
first to return and they in the order
of their length of service abroad.
Washington Great Old Town"
But. whether the District troops ar
rive in May or early in June, 1 bring
one message from them. They are
more than eager once more to set
foot upon American soil. and they are
particularly in earnest when they re-
mark:
"Gawd. man, Washington is the
greatest old town on the face of the
earth"
During the long months that have
intervened between the time of the
signing of the armistice and the pres
ent they have been lonesome. They
confess it freely. Many declare that
they have been downright homesick.
They make no excuses. But those Dis
trict lads have been patient, have
taken the bitter with the sweet and
have borne their burdens with a forti-
tude that has been inspiring. They
have gone about their drills as if the
war were still on and the Germans
were about to sweep down upon the
Crack Stones on Roadsides.
They have spent days, many of
them. a French roadsides, cracking
stone. that rFench roads used by the
~
They have slept in stables for months;
they have been quartered in dirty
little old houses which are not much
better than stables. During the long,
rainy winter months, with chill eat
ing into their very marrow. they have
slushed about through the streets of
their little towns and over muddy
French countrysides without a whim-
peG or complaint. Without human
coMpanionship beyond their own and
thai of unsympathetic French people,
they have grown to be great bud
dies Their amusements have been
simple-so simple, in fact that during
the monotonouS periods between ar
rivals of a few old newspapers, which
incidentally is seldom. or letters from
home, their feeling of isolation from
the world has been keen. But they
have made the most of their tireSome
routine, the unfrien6ly atmosphere in
which they have lived. Each day
they checked from the calendars and
count the ones remaining before they
will receive orders to move eastward
where they will once more sail the
high seas for home Home-no one
in the wide, wide world appreciates
the beauty of that single little word
as much as the American soldier in
France. And the District boy is no
exception. He has seen life in the
rough during all the months that he
has been away. Now he just wants to
nestle into the old environment with
mother and dad and sister and broth
er near him and mingle with old
friends and business associates once
more.
Wants to Hug Everybody.
No better example of this feeling.
which pervades the whole of the Dis
trict organizations in France. can be
found than the statement of one
sturdy youngster, who said:
81 expect the folks at home will
think / am crazy. but honest to good
ness I'll be ready to hug everybody
when / get there. Gee. l want to see
them, Even the neighbor's howlin
old tomcat."
He smiled meditatively.
Away southeast of Paris and al
most south of the famous old city of
Terdun, lie the little villages of Viii
lars-le-PauteI, Ormoy and Aisey In
these reside the batteries of the 10th
Field Artillery of the goth Division
In little towns scattered about Souilly.
north of Barbecue. just south of the
old Champagne and Argonne battle
front, are the various units of the
eth. The life of the District boys
everywhere is about the same. But
it is less lonesome in the region of
Souilly than those little towns where
in reside the 10th. There are more
communications and greater access to
the outside world. But this is saying
little. i hied myself to ViIlars-le-
Pautel. where is located the head
quarters company of the 10th, Maj.
Leroy w. Heron, in charge. for there
is found place typical of those in
France, where American forces have
rested upon their oars since the sign
ing of the armistice.
Strange Little Village