Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-03-25
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ANDREWS wears
5 COLD STRIPES
Sergeant One of Few Overseas
Men Entitled to Honor.
IS DECORATED FOR VALOR
Also Wins French Bride and Says This
Was Harder Task Than Winning
Two Crolx de Guerre and Other Bat
tie Honors-Took Three Months Of
Hard Work Before He Could Take
Bride to Church for Ceremony.

One Of the few overseas men who
is entitled to wear five gold service
chevrons Is Sergt. Charles f. Andrews,
who returned to the United States on
January "a, 1920, after spending thir-
ty-one months and seven days in
France and Germany. He Is now on
duty at the recruiting station In Chi
cago, says the Fort Sheridan Recall.
Besides five gold service stripes he
brought with him one wound stripe, a
victory badge decorated with five
bronze battle stars and two silver ones
for divisional citations, two croix de
guerre, French fOurragerie and what
was even harder to win, according to-
his statenents-a French bride.
"If I had it all to do over again."
said Sergeant Andrews, "I'd bring my
bride. to America to marry her. Be-
cause it took three months of hard
work before l could take her to the
church, even after she had said Yes
A Matter Of State.
an the first place, an American who
married French girl had to see the
American, the Belgian and French con-,
suls. He had to make several calls at.
the chamber of deputies-but I've for
gotten what the calls were for now.
The wedding had to be advertised in
the city hall eight days before the
wedding, And before the license was
granted he had to visit about every
public building In Paris, interviewing
city officials. I'm strong for the good
old country where the work is all done
after the girl Is won."
Sergeant Andrews was lucky enough
to find a French girl who can really
speak English well.
"You see, she used to teach II In the
public schools" he said. II went into
a souvenir shop in Paris one day where
she happened to be clerking. and got
to talking to her there. She helped me
pick out some souvenirs, and well,
sure needed some help. for I wasn't
thinking much about what I was buy
ing after l once saw her!"
Sergeant Andrews Is First division
man, and was attached to the Second
field signal battalion. He took part
In the offensive at Cantigny, Scissors.
st. Mihiel, the Argonne and the Sec
ond battle Of the Marine.
Aruaistice Day Scrappy.
1.-THE hardest fighting saw during
the whole war was on the morning OF
November H." he said Back In the
sector where was at the time, we did
not know thing about the armistice
until two minutes of eleven, and we'd
been firing just as fast as the old guns
would go off all morning.
about five minutes of eleven q
French radio operator came running
out of q dug-out to tell us that at elev-
en- o'clock all firing would cease, but
we laughed at him. But just two min
utes before eleven we were officially
notified to stop firing, and we believed
1t to be true for the first time.
"And when the firing did stop, what
do you think happened? You would
expect lot of rejoicing, wouldn't you Z
Well, there wasn't. Everybody just
dropped down where they were stand
Ing and went to sleep. All the eele-
brating that took place had to wait
until we had some sleep to work up
pep to celebrate with. We had all
gone just about as far as we could
without sleep, and even the news Of
an armistice couldn't seem to get
through our heads, for all we realized
was that we could stop firing. That
was down around Sedan, where the.
firing had been continuous for many
hours"
About the two individual croix de
guerre, Sergeant Andrews had little to
say.
81 don't know what they are for" he
said, Just as every Yank who was ever
decorated says when he is asked about
his citations. 'They both read about
the same-something about maintain
Ing communication in advance In the
face of a deadly fire-you know the
stock phrases they use in citations"