The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-02-09
MAJOR DICKSON !,
To TELL STORY !.
OF WAR TONIGHT
Fighting Chaplain" Of Sixth Artil.
lery Slated to Give Lecture,
America and Battle Of Yer
dun at Christian Church.
WAS WITH FIRST OUTFIT
TO FIRE GUN AT BOCHE
Cited for Bravery During Battle;
Had Five Horses Shot From I'm
der Him.. To Tell Of American
Fighter AS He Was.

Tonight at o'clock at the First
Christian church, Major Thomas ]
Dickson, the fighting chaplain" of
The sixth field artillery, the first out
fit to fire shot at the Germans.
win deliver his famous lecture
America and the Battle OF Yer
dun"
In this lecture, the people OF
Chickasha will have the opportunity
Of hearing the talk that was deliy.
cred by Major Dickson in London. in
Washington and many other cities.
Major Dickson was with tho first
American regiment to land in France
aad is probably one Of the most dis
tmguishod soldiers developed during
the world war.
My mission here IS to tell the
People what the American soldier
did Ia France said Major Dickson
this morning. Il am sent out by the
war department for this purpose ana
the expense is being met entirely
~ he government. The lectures
are delivered free Of charge and the
public generally Is invited to attend
ana hear the story of the war as told
by an army man who served vita
The regulars and who saw ever,
phase OF it"
Major Dickson was the senior
chaplain with the combat troops on
the American front and he saw more
phases Of the fighting than usually
falls to the lot OF any one officer.
Three of his orderlies were gassed
and had five horses shot from under
him. He was officially cited IN gen
eral orders for exposing himself to
heavy shell fire in burying the dead
during battle.
He wears all the battle stars OF
the first division, and he took part
in actual hostilties, having operated
machine gun during the heavy
fighting of Verdun lie was on duty
with the first division at the front,
in all their battles and on t,eir
night marches. He is a veteran OF
the Mexican border wars. has been
cited in general orders, thanked on
the battlefields Of Europe. and con
graduated before troops by the pres
ident of the United States for SER
vices he rendered during the Philip
pine insurection.
Only Officer in Regiment.
On October u, 1918, one month
before the armistice was signed, Ma
ior Dickson was the only officer OF
his regiment who had not been kill
ed or wounded Or sent back from
the front. When the first division
went to the front it totaled 25,o00
its replacemonts totaled slightly
more than 10000 men Those fig
ures more eloquenty than words
tell Of the heroic record Of the di-
vision.
Major Dickson has been detailed
by the war department to conduct
an educational campaign throughout
the United States for the purpose
Of acquainting the people exactly
what the army did in Europe and
what the army is today
The army is being rapidly trans
formed" said Major Dickson to q
reporter Of the Express. '"iAc new
army with the new ideals is rcpac-
ing the old army The aim Of the
new army is to build wall Of pa
trctism around the United States
in order that to be admitted a man
must be 100 per cent American. The
old army lies OH Flanders fields.
"The new army looks after the
soldiers, mentally. morally and phys
ioally, providing for him unusual ed
uca.ional textures. He performs his
usual military duties in the morning
and in the afternoon takes up voca-
tional or educational work. 50 that
at the end Of his enlistment he re-
turns to society better citizen in
every respect. The theory OF eln
while you learn is not idle senti-
ment. but an absolute reality. The
government also throws around the
,1.....s -. t,...-.,