Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1920-01-28
VERNON'S PART IN WAR!
VERNON COUNTY BOYS TAKE
H0NORS
responsibilities and Sacrifices Were
Theirs on Field and Camp in the
Great World War


"We have a list of 1900 names Of
men and women indicted into United
States service from Vernon county.
We have $50 history cards filled out
complete. We have 400 not completed.
Many of the cards filled out do not
give the soldiers division. In 1st Di-
vision we had Cheever Fisher, Chester
Burkhardt, Vernon Clark, Miles Sy-
version, Westby, killed, and Erling Slet-
ten, Westby, wounded four times, re-
ported dead twice. The First fought
from Cantigny to Sedan. We had
men in the I'd, Sd, 4th, 9Th and 7th
Regular Army Divisions; in Divisions
10, 10, 26, 81, 2s, of the 32d you know
its history-six months under fire; ten
days rest. Fought on five fronts; met
and vanquished % crack German di-
visions. Never retreated. Broke
Kreimhilde line. Took 1853 prisoners.
Scattered all over Vernon county are
bright, active, sharp-eyed fellows who
tell me I was in the 121st Machine
gun battalion of the 32d Division. A
famous machine gun organization.
We had 10 or II men in the 33d Di-
vision, the only division in all Ameri-
can history to fight on foreign soil
with French, British, Australians and
Americans. 1t was the only Division
decorated by King George of England,
officers and men alike, for distinguish
ed bravery. Billy Kromrey. John J.
Mckenna, Orbin Andersons Roy Frem-
stad, Melvin Swiggum, Ray McMullen,
Arch o. Morrison and Billy Simonson
were in that famous Division. Three
gold stars on that great map show
you where three other splendid 33d
boys fell; Ralph Moore, Adolph Oium
and August Souchek. The 33d Divis-
ion captured 68 German officers, 1924
men, 100 cannon; 400 machine guns;
and lost only 18 men taken prisoners.
Skill in leadership of men always
has been predicted on the care with
which the men were used in battle.
The ratio of wounded to killed men
was taken as a guide. The fewer the
number of wounded to each man killed
the more skillful the leadership"
Vernon county mothers will be inter
ested to know that the 33d Division
had next to the highest number of
wounded men for each death, being
exceeded only by the colored 92d Di-
vision. The hard hitting 32d Division
lost $50 men wounded for every one
killed. The SD Division had 6.34 men
wounded for every man killed. Did
some general blunder? Vernon coun-
ty had men in these Divisions: 80, sc,
81, 40, Al, AZ, n, 80, 50, IS, sc, 88,
80, 81, 81. We had at least fourteen
men in the famous Black Hawk seth
Division. We thus had men in at
least % Divisions of the American
Expeditionary Forces. We had men
on the Champagne, Somme and Aisne-
Marine Defensives; on the Somme,
Oise-Aisne, StMihiel, Peuvillers, Thia-
court, Puvenelle, Toul, Luneville, Luz
cey, and Meuse-Argonne offensive Sec.
tors.
Vernon county had in the United
States Navy, one lieutenant, one en-
sign, several first and second class
Seamen, and marines, one boy on a
submarine chaser. Men in pontoon
brigade, in balloon company, in avia-
ton corps, in signal battalions, tele-
graphers, wireless men, telephone con-
struction men, men in coast artillery,
railway artillery, field artillery, heavy
artillery Railway engineers, bridge
and road engineers, cavalry men, wag-
oners, stablemen, chauffeurs, supply
company men, assistant quartermas-
ter, Q. NJ. sergeant and men, depot
brigade men, dentist, embalmer, one
or two surgeons, medical corps men,
ambulance men, two captains on Peace
Commission; translator, gas guards,
bomb throwers, firemen, horseshoers,
bakers, cooks, clerks, military police,
machine gunners, sharpshooters, in
structors, kitchen police.
Vernon county sent three captains
across the water, Buffers, supply of
ficer of lot Sanitary train; DIR. Chris
tenson as surgeon, and later on a
commission to Germany and Russia;
and Capt Heinz experienced military
man who trained hundreds of soldiers
and later was sent to Germany and
Bulgaria on a commission. We had
eight or ten lieutenants, two of whom
Running and Burton, were killed; five
devoted Red Cross nurses, caring for
the sick wounded and dying:
Fannie Silbaugh, Lena Bakkum, Clara
Swenson, Julia Otteson- Flikke and
Marie Johnson. Amy Gott was in the
Y. M. G. A. canteen work at Chau-
mont and Jane Butt in Red Cross work
in Paris.
"To Clyde McAuley was awarded
the Croix de Guerre and | am told he
was recommended for the D. S. C. by
his officers. To the relatives of Eddie
Burton, Willie Jacobson and Timer
Running were given Distinguished
Service Crosses, and to Julius Larson.
Our SD Division boys can claim their
share in the decoration by King
George of the whole Division with the
Victoria cross. There were 30 odd
fighting divisions in the entire Amer
lean Expeditionary Forces. With da-
ia not so percent complete, / can say
to you tonight that Vernon county had
men in twenty-five of those divisions.
"On that great map of the Meuse-
Argonne battle field you see where 81
American Div foughta and Vernon coun-
- had men in sixteen of those Divis-
ions, and ten of our men fell there.
We only know a little of this country's
contribution to the Great World War.
We want to learn more. We want the
help of everybody right now in gather
ing up every thread of county war
history which after we are gone will
be woven by some slillful hand into a
beautiful STORED tapestry illustrative
of Vernon county's part IN the last
great war of history. VIII each one
of you add one thread to those we
already have that this picture may be
complete and glorious one