Evening star., 1921-11-06

- EN-. PERSH1NG has just
pulled out of oblivion Sergt.
Samuel Woodfll and placed
him on pedestal as
model of supreme heroic service and
absolute devotion to duty for all fu-
ture Americans. Gen. Pershing has
pronounced Sergt Woodfill the great
est individual hero among the four
million American men participating
in the world war, not only because ne
single-handed killed nineteen Ger,
mans, including one officer, captured
chine gun nests under heavy fire in
the main line Of the enemy forces'
but even more SO because, IN persist
ing in silencing these machlne gun
nests one after another ne gave a
notable example of the most ao3ect
devotio on TO duty as he saw it:
While the American people nave
been paying honor to other notable
heroes Of the war. Sergt. Woodhlis
praises have been unsung except IN
great surprise to the American people
during the past week that Sergt.
.VVoodfill had been designated the pre-
mier hero of the American paruclpa-
tion rather than Sergt. Alvin Z. 10rk'
1t is by direct command of Gen:
Pershing that Sergt. Woodfill is now
gratulations of President Harding
and the highest officers IN commaho
at the War Department, and tnat tne
october IL, 1918, is now being tcio 10
the American public
X X y x
TT was by mere accident that sergt.
woodfll was discovered as the
great unsung hero of the American n
forces. When a search of the world
war records was made Tor the pur-
pose Of selecting a soldier from the
infantry branch of the service to act
as a bodyguard for the unknown m
dead Sergt. Woodfill was selected by
a committee of Army officers as
soldier who. by sheer heroism; was was
most entitled to that except onal
honor, although he was practically
unknown to the people OF the Unlteo
States.
When tho recommendation was laid
before Gen. Pershing ne excialmea, @
greatest single hero in the American
forces" Then he let it be known that
in reporting to the Secretary OF war
after a search of the war records OF
officers and soldiers in the AMERICAN
revolutionary forces, he had decldeu
that the outstanding heroism of Sergt.
in the report of the commanding
general. 1st Army. American Expe
dictionary Forces, on the organization
of the 1st Army. A. p. F.. f. ,oo, .de
This report has not yet oeen maos
public. but Gen. Pershing annouhceo
that Of three soldiers out OF all those
in the 1st Army mentioned by name
in his report, that OF Lieut.. Samuel
woodfin appeared hrst ana aIser @ aanh minl
tured 132 Of the 6hemy. and third on
fhe list was mentioned Maj. Charles
s. whittlesey and his Famous Aose
Battalion"
Gen. Persining allows the following
extract to be printed from MS, as yet
unpublished. report:
Deeds Of valor were too numerous
TO mention here. Outstanding was
the heroism of Lieut.. Samuel Woodhll'
5th Division, in attacking sinsie-
handed a series of German machine
gun nests near Cunel and killing the
crews of each in turn until reduced
to the necessity Of assaulting the last
detachment with a pick, dispatchlng
them all. And of Sergt. Alvin e. York
and capturing 1872 Germans after his
patrol was literally surrounded and
outnumbered, ten to one; and NAL
Charles s. Whittlesey and his men OF
the 77th Division. when their bat
talon was cut off in the Argonne, in
.Tefusing to surrender and holding out
until finally relieved. Doubtless many
died in performing deeds of unknown
heroism and no survivor to testify
The heroic deeds mentioned by Gen.
Samuel Woodfill on october II. 1918.
when he was ordered with his patrol
to take Company M forward to make
a reconnaissance to determine the main
line of resistance of the enemy just
north of Bois de Romagne forest; HIS
yoH haf o.
laine farm and Cunel. That territory
is rolling. heavily wooded ground
with a small stream and ravines run
ming at right angles. It was close to
Kriemhilde Stellung (the line Of re-
sistance Of Kriemelde, named for a
character which Wagner worked into
his cycle Of operas). It was bad fight
ing ground. those who have been
through it declare, and the Germans
had excellent positions Of defense.
timbered, their positions hard to To-
cate and extremely dangerous to at
tempt to reduce.
1ITooDF1LL went forward and his
wv company was held up by a ma
chine gun nest-a machine gun with
a full crew of five men is a strong in
trenchment. He ordered the company
TO take cover and went forward alone,
working his way around the flank
Just as he had been accustomed all
his life in stalking big game. He shot
the five men manning the gun. In the
trench was the sixth German, a run
per or messenger, and as he jumped
out to scurry away with the news
that-the Americans were attacking, he
, was killed.
Then woodfll jumped to a bush for
cover and bumped into German Off
Ger. The officer pulled his pistol.
but Woodfill beat him to it. Then he
took his company and went forward.
still looking for the main line Of re-
sistance. Authorities at the War De-
partment point out that Woodfill
would have been justified in going
back and reporting that this was the
main line Of resistance, that there he
had been resisted in strength. 1t is
because he did not do this that PERISH
ing characterized his achievement as
"heroism of the highest type" and
perfect devotion to duty"
woodfill, going forward, encounter
ed a second machine gun, again stop
ned his men and went forward alone.
Again he killed the five men at the
gun by shooting them. Having re-
duced that nest, he called on his men
TO follow and then ran into three Ger
mans who were carrying ammunition
proof that he had met the main line
of resistance. He pulled his pistol,
but the Germans threw up their arms.
calling, 'sKameradr' These three he
sent to the rear as prisoners. .
For the third time Woodfill called
his company to follow and pressed
forward. still looking for the abso-
ned after reducing the second nest
S.-s1o,,ld surely have received the