The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-01-15

For heroic and efficient service as
Red Cross nurse under fire in the
Argonne, Mrs. Edna Coughlin GUMS
Ter, formerly nurse at the Kenosha
Hospital and one of the first Kenosha
women to answer the war call of the
Red Cross, was awarded the distin-
guished service medal by Congress ac
cording to dispatches which reached
many friends of the Kenosha nurse
today. The award came as the result
of the citation of Mrs. Quinsler by LIT.
Colonel w. Fl. Jones, the commanding
officer of the Milwaukee Base Hospital
unit of which she was member, for
the efficient and daring service she
rendered the wounded American sol
diers behind the front line in the Ar
gonne.
One Of Famous 1Gas Team.
Mrs. Quinsler, who since her marri-
age last November after returning from
her long service as Red Cross nurse
overseas has lived in Akron, Ohio, was
nOsha. She was one of the first volun-
teer nurses Of this vicinity and went
overseas with one of the earliest units
of American nurses In the Bah du
Lac region she was assigned to Base
Hospital duty and with Lieut.. Somers
and Private Poole made up a gas and
shot " first aid /" team which became
known as one of the most efficient in
the hospital. Later she was sent to the
very first line stations and for several
days served under fire as one Of the
nurses to give first help to the wound
ed soldiers. 1t was for her heroic
service under fire that she was cited
for bravery and sacrifice by her com
manding officers and awarded the COW
eted medal by Congress.
Served Long Under Fire.
On the battle line, Mrs. Quinsler' s
efficiency was recognized by reason Of
the fact that she was the only woman
woh "went up" with the members of
the Third Army Corps when they adj
vanced to the front trenches in the
Argonne For ten weeks she served
in evacuation hospitals only six or
eight kilometers behind the front
trenches and during this time she was
constantly under fire. During the days
of the fiercest fighting in the salient
around Verdun she and her corps of
helpers treated more than 5000 cases of
men who were horribly wounded in the
battles.
Mrs. Quinsler stayed to see it through
and returned to Kenosha only last
March after serving in the hospitals
many weeks after hostilities had ceased.
Mrs. Quinsler is one of the first wo-
men of the country to secure the dis
tinguished service medal for acts of
bravery in the recent war and is the
only Kenosha nurse who has received
this decoration.
Graduate Of Kenosha Hospital.
The award comes as an honor to the
Kenosha Hospital Training School as
Mrs. Quinsler received all Of her
training in her profession in the Keno
shae School and had for several years
served as a nurse at the Kenosha Hos
pital Her efficiency at the front in
the time of stress is a signal recogni-
tion of the excellent training which is
given at the Kenosha school
Shares Honor With Lieutenant Colonel.
The only other Kenoshan to be 50
signally honored by the nation was Col
Charles J. Symmonds. Col Symmonds
received his decoration several months
ago and it came as a recognition of his
wonderful service in charge of the
great supply base Of the American army
in France. Col. Symmonds did not
have chance to have part in the ac-
tISal fighting of the great war.
During her service over seas Mrs
Quinsler was in hospitals where many
Kenosha men were cared for The eli
tation given to her expresses the espec.
ial gratitude of the United States Gov
eminent for her services in the Argonne
the last great test of the strength OF
the Germans 1t was in this action
that she cared for a number of the Ke
nosha boys borne back from the front
line.
Always KEEPING RIGHT at the head Oh