Connecticut western news., 1920-02-19
SACRIFICES OF ""
 MEN INSPIRATION American Army Officers Saw
 Them Under Fire. 'Their Deeds Will Never Be Forgotten" ;" Says Mai. L. D. Turner, 9Oth Div, U s. R.

During the several days Of our drive in this sector, I frequently heard complaints from both officers and men of the Division that the Y. M. C. A. had failed to get supplies to them. Let me say that this was due to the terrible road conditions which made trafic forward absolutely impossible for three days. The same troops who claimed that they did not receive cigars, cigarettes, chocolate, cakes, etc., might well have taken into con- sideration that they did not receive rations and ammunition in the same period in spite of the fact that the Engineer troops worked desperately night and day to try to make the roads stand up under the heavy trafic that was making a vain effort to move forward This impossible trafic con ditton was one of the most difficult problems that confronted our Division during the entire war.
 From this point our Division was sent by train into Belgium. Here the transportation problem was even more dinScult, for the Germans had destroyed all the railroads in the sector in which we were operating. The Division kept on the hike day by day. through desolated country beyond the Yprss salient, and their first chance to expect help from the Y. Nj. C. vas when they reached the city Of Lchtenfeldt. Here, and later at Thteld. the Y. M. c. A were soon established with a generous portion of supplies. I secured transportation and went to Thfelt where purchased tobacco and cakes for my entire bat talion- Prom this time oa the difacult problem of fcIlowtng tho Division in combat and transporting their sup plies with them constituted an un- soivahle problem without heap from the Division, which the latter vas un- abae to give.
 The Division made long marches and usuatly did not stay in one place for long enough time to give the Y. II. 0. A chance to sstab1ish itself. For my part thoaxht tAs service rendered was about all that we could honestly expect under the Z circums tancs. .a.. ,st
 ~Lst 1t first be considered that when the r. M. c. A. attempted the talk of furnishing and operating the oan- teen for an army that rapidly in creased to over 1,500,o00 men, 1t shouldered mighty big proposition. Let us consider in connection with this thought the following facts: First, that their representatives were not specially chosen for commercisI | work; that their employees were largely untrained for any such task upon human ability and endurance.
 Personally, when entered the war I did not expect to pluck all roses and I was firmly resolved to be a booster on all occasions, realizing the truth in the old adage The man worth while is the man who can smile, when everything goes dead wrong al- ways felt that it was my duty and responsibility to see that my men had all the comforts of life that it wal
 within my power to procure for them
 It is impossible for me to view this situation in any other way than thai if every commanding officer, or ever,
 officer, had displayed the same inter.
 est in his men and the same desire
 to look up the r. M. c. A and co
 operate with them, the men wouIe
 have little complaint to make.