The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1920-02-20
WAR RECORD OF
FORMER RESIDENT

In writing Of the war record of Ma
jor w. j. Macdonald, former resi-
dent Of L'Anse, the New York Her
aid says:
The next time you see the letters
"P. E." superimposed in black on a
cadet blue rectangle sewn to the
sleeve Of soldiers tunic, don't be SO
sure that they can be freely translate
ed as "pretty easy" There may be
soft jobs at the Port of Embarkation,
but there are heroes there also.
A few weeks ago the Herald maga-
zine cited the instance Of the long-suf-
fering doughboSs Of the Hoboken
piers who examine unmarked baggage
from France and find therein loaded
revolvers and souvenir" shells prim-
ed for business. Today, let's look at
a major.
This is Major w. J. Macdonald, @.
M. :, United States Army, formerly of
the Division of Maintenance and Re-
pairs in the Marine Inspection De-
partment, at Pier No. 8, Hoboken, at
present officer in charge Of the Inspec-
tion Branch of the Redelivery Section
of the Joint Board Of Army, Navy and
Shipping Board officials for the rede-
livery Of transports to their private
owners.
To this officer, wearing the "P. E."
in war days meant being called upon
to send to sea by force and arms-and
by his own personal courage-mutin-
GUS crews unwilling to face the dan
gers of the submarine zone, meant
shipping off rebellious masters who
had habit of carrying revolvers tha,,
they were all too ready to use, meant
turning out in the dead of night on
more than one occasion to make with
his own hands wearisome repairs for
nervous engineers. Wearing the "P
E" since the armistice has meant
having the courage to place honest
bottom values on the ships while in
the transport service and then keep
ing that courage while wrathful own
ers, backed by experts, tried to gouge
a higher figure out of Uncle Sam
than the facts warranted. That cour-
age of Major Macdonald has meant
saving to Uncle Sam of $1,000 day.
Yes, Hoboken has it's tales of hero
ism, too. 1t may have been suppos-
ed that the machinery of the trans
port service did not always run as
smoothly as patriotic and lauda-
tory press led the country to believe
during those dark days when men by
the hundred thousand and supplies
by tn hundred thousand tons were be-
ing poured into France through the
Hoboken port of embarkation. 1t
was not to be expected that crews,
swept together from score of ma
ionalities, with neutrals predominant
ing, we.lld always leave for the peri
lous trip through the submarine zone
without murmurings, and sometimes
even open mutiny.
But these little things which con-
stituted the seamy side Of the Port Of
Embarkaticn service did not come
fully into the knowledge of the news
papers until after the armistice was
signed, and even yet the public has
heard little of them. When it does,
the doughboys who went overseas will
find little less humorous the sugges-
ton that there may be heroes in the
QuarterTnaster Corps and the coun-
try at large will acknowledge its OBJ
legation to men like Major Macdonald.
This officer received his commission
as captain in the Quartermaster Corps
February 2, 1917, two months before
war was declared, leaving to take
that commission an excellent govern
ment position as Supervising Inspect
or of the Fourth Steamboat Inspec-
tion District. On May 10, 1917, he
was ordered on active duty and came
from his home in st. Louis to take
up work at the Port of Embarkation.
In October, 1917, he became assist
ant to the officer in charge Of the
and Repairs-a posi-
tion for which he was well prepared
by fifteen years. experience as mar
inc engineer. He was put in full
charge Of the work at Hoboken in
March, 1918. =
In writing of Major Macdonald's
services as captain at the up Of E"
during those arduous months Of the
spring and summer of 1918, Colonel
r. A. McCabe, with whom the major
had been associated in the Mainten-
ance and Repair Division, said on