Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-03-10
CHAPTER X. ,s.-
The Golden Stripe.

In all probability Leonard Wood
has actually risked his life in the
battle lines more than any other
general officer in the army. He has
been in hundreds of actions during
his long career in the army and in
few of them was his presence abb
solutely required by mlntary rules.
Away back in the Apache war
fare days, when he was a medical
officer and not required to do any
fighting, he begged for service and
was given it in the infantry. In
Cuba he did his bit with his men
in that noble charge at Las Quasi
mas. In the Philippines, general
though he was, he went into the
Cogon swamps with his men and
took every risk they tooks That
is why they love him. those vete-
ran boys" of his, and ii is those
same qualities that endeared him
to the men he trained during the
last war.
After he had his southeastern de-
partment in splendid working
shape Wood was sent to Camp Fun
ston to train the Eighty ninth di-
vision, fine, strapping youngsters
from the cities and towns of Kan
sas and Missouri and other parts
of the middle west He was rapidly
whipping them into shape when he
was ordered to Europe to observe
operations, landing in Liverpool
Christmas day, 1917.
He went up to the front shortly
and on January l6 he was at SOis-
sons, where the French were sta
toned He went with some off
GERS and men to Fere-en Tardenois,
to observe artillery practice. A
shell burst nearby and the entire
gun crew was killed Four officers
with Wood We're killed and Wood
himself received a deep wound in
the muscles of his left arm. Six
pieces of the shell tore through his
clothing.
He was the firstand only general
officer so far as is known who was
wounded in the war despite his
lack of active service.
Wood didn't let the wound both
er him much. He spent the night
in field hospital, then drove n
hundred miles back to Paris to a
hospital where he stayed nearly
three weeks. Then he returned to
the front and to A. f. F. head
quarters. on March 81, having
been ordered home, he arrived in
the United States and appeared be-
fore the senate military affairs
committee to report on his work
in France.
Having been examined again by
army surgeons as to his physical
| fitness, he was given an absolute
! o. X. and ON April IL again was
! back with his boys of the Eighty
, ninth in Funston.
lust before June the Eighty
ninth was ready to go overseas and
Wood went with the first outfits
| to Long Island to get them away
He found then that he had been
transferred to San Francico to take
! charge of the western department
He said goodbye to his men, and
considering his disappointment and
chagrin his farewell speech was re
markable:
! Will nv 't'y t7pOhbN - f'hN N''''
slider it a temporary separation
at least / hope so. have WORKED
4 hard with you and you have done
I excellent work I had hoped very
4 much to take You over to the Other
side The orders have been changed
and ] am going back to Funston
] leave for that place tomorrow
morning. I wish you the best q
luck and ask you to keep up thu
A high standard Of conduct and worl
4 YOU have maintained in the past
There is nothing to be said. Thes'
/ orders stand, and the only thins
to do is do the best we CANAL o
us-to win the war" ...
! For in the meantime Wood hat
4 FASTENED to Washington and beg
ged thai he be allowed to go over
4 seas, that he be not shelved in thu
I far west, Little attention was paiC
to him in Washington, but final,
the country raised such an uproal
/ over the whole affair, that the bu
4 reaucrats relented a little ans
Il cnpn pramiead hN sending him bacl