Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-31
GVEND. c. men
BACK FROM FRANCE
Arrive With CamoufIage Unit
at Washington Barracks
After Serving 8 Months.
SHIELDED THE BIG GUNS

Four hundred and fifty men and
thirty-eight officers of the 10th Engi-
neers; the only oamouflage unit in the
American expeditionary force. reached
Washington barracks last night. a
tired but happy crowd. after eight
western front.
The entire organization was eager
this morning to get liberty to see the
National Capital but there were seven
in particular-fornerW Washington men
who longed to get through the gates
of the barracks and see their home
town again. They are:
Capt. e. Ray keene of Company /.
whose family lives at 3453 Holmead
place northwest.
Sergt. c. c. Allen. Company B. of
lsos L. street. formerly employed in
the art department OF The Star.
Private James Allan. who lived with
His sister, Mrs. Mary Menzies, els l
street northeast.
Private George Parks. who resided
with his brother william Parks 1867
Spring road northwest
Sergt. Thomas Donueliy, Private David
Rubin and Private James r. o'Shea also
are recorded at the barracks as residents
of Washington. OShea was in motion
picture work in California for several
years prior to the war
Important Duty Performed.
Although their implements of war
were fishnets, chicken wire, buriap and
canvas. the 10th Engineers constituted
one of the biggest cogs in Gen Perish
ing's ArmJ, for they did all of the rcover
up work of the eXpeditionary force at
luneVille, the Champagne. St Mihiel.
chateau Thierry and in the Argonne
forest.
Being engineers they are classed as
on-combatants, but their task of shield
ing the big guns of the artillery from
enemy airplanes kept them frequently
IN the path of bursting German shells
As they chatted of their experiences
today their only regret seemed to be that
they had to do their share under fire
without getting chance at the Ger
mans with the infantry and artillery
The camoufiage men of the 10th En-
gineers suffered prao tically as many
casualties as did the average organiza-
ton.
The 40th Engineers were organized at
american University Camp. this city
The register or the organization has 12o
men listed from Washington. The ma
jorlty of these. however. are believed
to Washington to enlist
Landed in France January II, 1918
The 10th landed in France on jan
uary II. 1918, and went to Dijon,
where they erected a big factory for
the manufacture of the materials they
were to use IN concealing the guns
and other supplies of the American
Army from enemy airplane FIRE.
Capt keene of this city helped es-
tabfish and put in operation this
FACTORY, IN which nearly 1000 French
girls and women were employed
AS soon as the American Army
began to reach the front in force the
10th Engineer Regiment was broken
UP into small details of fifteen and
twenty men for each division of COM
blatant troops.
in this way the organization was
scattered all along the west front.
Unlike the combatant troops who are
relieved and sent to the rear after
so many days in the trenches. the
camoufiage men saw continuous
service at the front from early spring
last year until the Germans threw
up their hands, November II.
Divisions of infantry would come
and go, but the camoufiage detach-
ments always remained.
Aided in Shielding Shippers.
. Capt. Keene explained that before
the big allied drive Of the last four
months the cafnounage men had to
devote part of their time to shielding
snipers in their attempts to pick off
Germans who would show their heads.
But after the armies got out of the
trenches and began to advance the
job of the 10th Engineers was to keep
protected the big guns of the artil-
lery and the roads along which sup
plies and ammunition were being
brought up.
The fish nett and the 'at top were
the two principal contrivances used in
the big guns. The for
mer consisted of an ordinary fish net
spread across the top of the gun po-
sition. with strips Of vari colored bur-
lap attached to the net. The fiat top
pra ctically was the same. except that
chicken wire replaced the net and
made a more permanent covering.
The $50 men at Washington bar
racks are in command of Maj John
S. Bragdon, who expressed hope to-
day that he would be able to demobi-
lize the men as soon as possible.