The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1919-04-09
GRAPHIC /:
TOLDBY LEFLORE
COUNTY HERO
Private Claude ROmine
Fought With Sixth
Regiment Marines.
BELLEAU WOOD, ST.
MIHIEL, SOISSONS,
And Argonne Forest
Awarded Croix de
Geurre with Palm.

Geurre with Palm.
Private Claude Romine was born
and reared in the Bear Creek
vicinity near Morgan City, Leflore
County, Miss He enlisted in the
Marine Corps, U. S. Service, at Mem
phis, Tenn, as soon as war was de-
clared, being assigned to service in
the S2nd Co., 9th Regiment Marines,
and embarked early in the game at
Quantico, Va, for France, where he
spent Is months and arrived in Green
wood last Saturday morning for a
three days visit to his uncle and
aunt. Mr.. and Mrs. J. L. Larry. From
here he went to Shaw, Miss, for a
brief visit to his mother, Mrs. J. w.
Hopkins-thence to Camp Taylor, KY,
to receive his final discharge from
the Army Service.
Private Romine served with dis
tinction in the fiercest Of the fighting
at Belleau Wood, scissors, st. Mihiel,
Argonne Forest, the Meuse, the
Marine, etc, with the chivalrous Ma
rines where he scored seven citations
for heroic service and was decorated
with the highest medal awarded by
the French Army-the Croix de
Geurre with Palm. He later received
serious wounds from Hun shell-fire,
from which it required three months
to partially recover.
The people of Laflore county nat
urally feel proud Of the immortal
glory reflected upon them by this pa
triotic young hero in the thickest Of
the fighting on the historic battle
fields of the great world war, and he
was the center of attraction during
his three days visit here.
Private Romine t,ld the story of his
thrilling experiences "at the front"
to those present at the banquet Civ
en- Saturday evening at the Confeder-
ate Memorial Building in such an in
tensely interesting manner that Supt
C. E. Saunders requested him to re-
late the story to the Senior Glass of
the High School the following Mon
day morning, when Miss Mamie Gil
liam very kindly made stenographic
copy of it for The Daily Common
wealth, which is published in full in
order that all our people may read
the tragic description of some of the
most destructive battles in the his
tory of the world from the lips of
one of our own native sons:
PRIVATE ROMINE'S STORY.
On the 18th day of March, 1918.
was the first time we went into the
trenches. We were sent in what was
called the Toul-Tyrone sector. When
we went in, we were sent in with the
intention that We were just to stay
there until we got used to trench
warfare. We stayed there something
like forty-five days. The latter part
of April, after being in there so long,
sleeping in the mud, and wallowing
in the mud like hogs, we got tired of
it. The American tactics are, always
to do something. So we kept getting
up and having fun, especially at
night, shooting off machine guns ane
rifles, and cutting barbed wire en-
tanglements.
On the 28th day of April we real
lied that the Germans were coming
over to see what we were doing, anC
they threw a barrage on us.
Meantime was detached as run
ner between company headquarters
and battalion headquarters, which
was about two miles in the rear
When the Germans dropped a bar
rage on US we were handicapped. W.
did not have sufficient flares to cal
for a barrage from our own artillery
So our Company commander had t.
get sufficient flashes to can for j,
barrage from our own artillery, and
was given twenty-three minutes t.
make the run.
At the time he gave me the mes
sage / did not realize fully what
was going through; in fact, I did no
realize it until I had left headquart
ers, and then I realized / had to g,
through q barrage. Well, took i
In tho best Of heart. would no
only sacrifice my own life; woul,
sacrifice it for the entire company
So made the best Of it could, an,
made the run, come back, and we wen
over the top at the correct time; W
got our barrage. We met them hal
way in No Mans Land. 1t seeme
like pretty stiff fight. but of cours
it was right, and we came back wit
twenty-three prisoners. We lost
good many men, but we did not hav
any captured.
At the time did not know that
was decorated. We were pulled out Q
the lines on the 18th day Of Ma,
Our intention was to go to M4ntdidie
front and relieve the FirstssDlvisiol
We hiked for three days and thre
nights until we got within aboNt sthil
~ kilometers Of the front lines, tp
xmall town by the name of Montie1,
where we halted for fiEes days, and
Was there was decolkeed.