Republican farmer., 1919-05-02
RATHER TALK OF PEACE THAN WAR Lieut.. Heating Back in Of fce-F'ought With T. R.
 Jr. in France.

Seated in the same chair he occu- pied in the Security building on Main street, before the call to arms sent him to the Officers Training School at P1attsburg, where he was l awarded a commission of first lieu tenant, Attorney Vincent L. Keating, son of City Auditor Bernard J. Keat-
 ing, just back from l 5 months fight ing with the American army in France, smiled this morning and said: I'd rather talk about the glory of ptace than the glory of war" when a reporter said. '"Teu us all about it'' Looking hale and hearty, bronzed from the outdoor life, and with every taut muscle showing through his civil ian attire, Lieut.. Heating did not have the appearance of a man who had gone through the gruelling defensive warfare that fell to the lot of the First Division, on the Picardy and Toul sectors. For he was a member of the 26th Infantry,and Major (now Lieut. Col.) Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.. fell wounded while leading the first bat talion of this unit. Lieut.. Heating served in Co. L, and was wounded in the fighting in front of Cantigny, after which he spent several months in a hospital, having lost the use of his left hand. The surgical skill of the Amer ican doctors, have now restored him to practically perfect health.
 In speaking of his experience Lieut. Heating said:
 When I first arrived in France was sent to a training school where,
 under the eyes of French and British l officers we worked hard for some weeks. The school was at Chatio- oen, and had no sanitary improve l ments. The life and training at this | place was worse than actual bat tie. T was finally assigned to the 26th 1 Infantry Of the First Division, and
 we were sent to the Foul front. Con 1 ditions here were very bad. We had 1 to wear hip boots continually, and | pull one foot out of the mud and 1 then make an effort to get the other 1 out.
 1 After two weeks on this front we were sent to aid the British in re- l pulsing the Huns in their great of 1 fensive of March, 1918. The British had been retreating for sometime, un- i til they had reached Montdiddier and
 we were put in the supporting g trenches.
 AS a, matter of fact there were no 1 trenches, practically all of them hav-
 ing been raked up by the German
 fire. The First Brigade of the First | Division was put to work building.
 This consisted of connecting existing 1 shell holes, and making shallow 1 trenches of them.
 We were finally sent to the front
 lines. Hopelessly outnumbered, the Germans having added twelve batter ! 5oc, of 1-fi fo ,al For
 to scare us off, we fought under
 great handicap. There was no com
 munication between front and rear | trenches. If a man was wounded i in the early morning he must lay
 with nothing but first aid until he could 1 be moved to the rear at night. We
 used to pray to be hit near the even 1 ing, if we must be wounded, so that
 we would not have so long to wait
 to get to a field hospital.
 ''In battle here, the Germans play ed havoc with our troops, and later ] our commander was forced to utilize
 cooks, mechanics and kitchen police | to help hold the lines. Out of a com pany of 240, all but 3 were casuals
 and no relief in sight, but we pulled
 out, and at Cantigny, the American First army with the aid of French tanks and flame throwers stopped the
 Hun. This was on May 27, 1918. l Practically two companies of the 26th Infantry were wiped out.
 "On June g, the Germans began
 what is known as the Compiegne of fensive and Company I of the 26th 1 suffered 95 casualties.
 Ut was here that I was wounded,
 but I returned as casual, but was
 out of luck, for they sent me back
 to the hospital just before the battle ] at Chateau Thierry. After release they put me on clerical work
 Lieut.. Heating arrived in New York from Brest on Friday, April 25, was discharged at Camp Dix Sunday, and I arrived back in Bridgeport Sunday. g
 He has reopened his law office, and as he said today, is "alI ready to dc | business at the old stand"