Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-03-31
MEMBER Of 129TH
BAND ARRIVES At
F FAV0R|TE BILLET
OSCAR SlEFFERT, WHO FOUGHT
WITH FAMOUS INFANTRY, IN
OTTAWA ON TEN DAYS FUR
LOUGH BEFORE GETTING DIS.
CHARGE.

Private Oscar Sieffert, a member of
the regimental band of the 129th In
| fantry, arrived in Ottawa yesterday to
spend a ten day furlough with his par
ents, Mr.. and Mrs Philip Sieffert 419
Leland street Private Sieffert ar
rived in the United States in Feb
ruary, and is now stationed at the re-
construction hospital at Camp Grant,
receiving treatment for a badly frac-
tured right wrist, which was injured
when he had a fall Nov. 20.
Private Sieffert is lhe second boy
from the 33d Division to arrive home
inside Of forty-eight hours. Friday
morning Private Edward j. Dunn, son
Of Mr.. and Mrs. Michael J Dunn OF
st. George street, arrived home after
receiving his honorable discharge
from the army. Both boys are glad to
be home, and although members ol
the same division they knew nothing
of the others return home until they
arrived here.
I Private Sieitert enlisted in the band
Of the 129th in the late spring os
1917 and was sent to Camp Logan,
Texas, at the same time the Company
c boys left Ottawa. Elmer Metzger
and Elmer Levy, two other ottawa
boys, were members OF the same band.
They trained at Camp Logan and
sailed for France with the rest of the
129th
When they first arrived overseas
and gave concerts for the officers
They were also sent around TO various
battalions to give concerts and cheer
the boys up. They next We're placed
in training camp and given hospital
drill. The members of the band had
enlisted with the understanding that
while the boys of the regiment Were
in the lines the men in the band Were
Just before the men of the 10th
were sent into the lines an order was
sent TO the regiment that the band
be held back of the lines while the
regiment was lighting. For weeks
they were thus held and were given
various assignments of work.
Sept 26, during the big Verdun of.
fensive, they received orders to re
port to the lines for service. They
We're stationed as stretcher bearers
for the both Infantry for two days
working continually under shell fire
They were particularly fortunate
however and did not lose a single
man. At the end of the second day
the genera. learned that tie men of
the band had been sent into the lines
to act as stretcher bearers and imme
diately ordered them return to the
rear.
Late in October an order went
| through compelling every musician
who was serving as a combat soldier
to return to the band While at Camp
Logan Private Elmer Levy secured a
transfer to the signal corps of the
regiment and served with them dur
ing the time he was in France. He
was again sent back to the band and
the three Ottawans were together
once more.
The band made the hike with the
33d Division into LuXemburg and was
stationed in the city of LuXemburg.
when, on Dec. ~ Private Sieffert' s
wrist was in such serious condition
he was sent to a base hospital in
Treves Previous to this he had just
been receiving treatment at the regi-
mental hospital He passed through
! three hospitals, was taken aboard a
/ Red Cross train at Vichy in January
and sent to a hospital in Perugeueux
/ France. From there he was sent to
! hospital near Bordeaux. After receiv-
! ing treatment for few days he was
/ placed in a casual company under sail
ing orders.
He sailed for the United States Jan
/ 90 on board the transport Siboney It
took eleven days to make the trip
The ocean was extremely rough and
numerous storms made the crossing
anything but a pleasant one.
One day the vessel sailed into sight
of the Goddess of Liberty, which, in
Private Sieffert's estimation, was the
I grandest sight he had seen since leav
ing Ottawa in the summer of 1917.
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