The Press., 1920-02-12
SACRIFICES OF Y"
 MEN INSPIRATION American Army Officers Saw Them Under Fire.
'Their Deeds Will Never Be Forgotten" Says
 Mai. L. D. Turner, 90th Div., U. s. R.

1 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 traffic forward absolutely impossible for three days. The same troops who claimed that they did not receive cigars, cigarettes, chocolate, cakes, etc., might we'll 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 traffic that was making vain effort to move forward. This impossible traffic con- dition was one of the most difficult problems that confronted our Division during the entire war.
 From this point our Division was 1 sent by train into Belgium. Here the transportation problem was even more difficult, 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 Ypres salient, and their first chance to expect help from the Y. M. c. A. was when they reached the city of Lichtenfeldt. Here, and later at Thield, the Y. M. c. A. were soon nc t-h 1ic.ho oI ,,yit supplies. I secured transportation and went to Thielt where I purchased tobacco and cakes for my entire bat taliOn. From this time on the difficult problem of following the Division in combat and transporting their sup plies with them constituted an un- solvable problem without help from the Division, which the latter was un- able to give
 The Division made long marches and usually did not stay in one place for a long enough time to givo the Y. M. c. A. chance to establish itself For my part I thought the service rendered was about all that we could honestly expect under he circumstance.
 Let it first be considered that when the Y. M. C. A. attempted the task of furnishing and operating the can teen for an army that rapidly in creased to over 100000 men. it shouldered a mighty big proposition. Let us consider in connection with this thought the following facts: First, that their representatives were not specially chosen for commercial work; that their employees were largely untrained for any such a task upon human ability and endurance.
 'Personally, when l entered the war 1 did not expect to pluck all roses and l was firmly resolved to be a booster on all occasions, realizing the truth in the old adage The man worth while IS tho man who can smile, when everything goes dead wrOng.' I al ways felt that it was my duty and responsibility to see that my men had all the comforts of life that it was within my power to procure for them. IL IS impossible for me to view this situation in any other way than that II every commanding officer, or evlrv officer, h@d displayed the same inter- est in his men and the same desire to look up the Y. M. c. A. and O. operate with them, the men would nave little complaint to make.