The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-05

effort of the LIST army In the name of
our country 1 offer our hearty and
unmeasured thanks to those splendid
Americans of the divisions which were
engaged.
The greater things at which Cen
eral Pershing limited came soon. The
seth was rushed on foot and in trucks
to the ArgOnne, the movement begin
ming October 8. 1t couldn't wait for
the slow moving heavy artillery, so the
l 64th field artillery brigade, which
had come from the training camp at
I Bordeaux September Is to help in the
st. Mihiel drive. had to be left behind.
The training of Camp Funston was
showing in the men. Mai. Gen. c. P.
SummeraH, commanding the 5th army
corps after an inspection, wrote a let
ter to General Wright in which he ex-
pressed every confidence that men OF
the exceptional morale and discipline
of the 89th would perform the task al
| lotted them.
I'm particular" General Summer
ais letter said in part, Il desire to
commend the division for the clean
illness in which the men keep them
selves under adverse conditions and
the attention given to shaving and
sanitation"
A Hard Task Was Waiting.
a hard task already was waiting the
seth, the clearing of the Bots de Ban
theville. The First battalion Of the
95Gth infantry began it the night of
October 20. Two nights later, under
tho personal direction of Col. j. IT.
Reeves, the First battalion of the
252d infantry went over. 1t comp1et-
81 the clearing of the wood qnG res
cued some units of the 356th which
had been cut off by the Germans.
Eleven of the $500 were killed ana
twenty-four wounded that night The
commanding general Of the 5th corps
Ct mmended the division.
From that night until the night
three years ago, when the last big at
tack came, the seth held the line at
Batheville. On the $500 and 354th
regiments fell the brunt of violent
bombardments. The 117th brigade,
composed of the two regiments lost
seven hundred men.
The story of what followed the last
big Jump off" October 81 already is
written indelibly in Americas history.
The countless details which make it an
epic of suffering endured gamely with
a glorious final victory can be learned
best from the men of the seth who
were then and are here today.
Each company has its Stories some
of them written in the glittering records
of medals of honor. The 353d infan-
try will tell you how Sergt. Otis V.
Dozer of CedarVille, Kan, won a dis
l1AISQ service cross at the WOODS
near Barrecourt by fearlessly advanc-
ing against machine gun nests, altho
wounded, setting an example to his
men which resulted in their capturing
three machine guns and their crews
before Dozer fell exhausted.
Among the heroes of the 356th is
Sergt. Waldo Haler of Neosho, Mo-
who, the night of November 8, volun-
teered to swim the flooded Mouse to
the German lines. He completed his
mission after Corp. John w McAfee,
who started with Inn, had been seized
with cramps and drowned. Alone he
obtained information of the enemy's
lines which enabled the 89th to make
the glorious crossing of the Meuse
taking the historic town of Stenay just
before the armistice was signed.
The 354th has Charles Barger of
SCOTS City, Mo, a private, who made
two trips five hundred yards beyond
the American lines in the Bots de Ban
theville under constant machine gun
fire and rescued two officers Halter
and bargen received the Congressional
Medal of Honor.
Nine Medals of Honor.
In the records of the war. the seth
ranks fifth of the American divisions
in kilometers advanced against the
enemy. Its total advance of forty
eight kilOmeters was exceeded only by
TIE 4lHy the "a the 4ZQ ana the 1St
divisions. 1t ranks third in Germans
captured, with 5,O61, being exceeded
only by the I'd and LIST divisions With
nine medal of honor men, the seth is
surpassed in that respect only by the
30th division. which was awarded
twelve. 1t suffered 1, 433 battle deaths
and 5,S58 of it's men were wounded
On its enviable record 1t was selected
as part of the army of occupation in
Germany. General Vim, resuming
command November IS, when General
Wright was given charge of the 1st
army corps. led the division in a
triumphal march thru Belgium and
Luxembourg to a division headquarters
at Kyllburg. 1t was the only national
army division in the army of occupa-
ton, but it was assigned a territory
larger than that of any other unit.
territory siXty-eight miles long and
thirty-seven miles wide. The 164th
field artillery rejoined the division
when it went into Germany.
Won a Football Title.
Despite the duties of the occupation.
the S9th found time to add a triumph
in another field to it's military vic
tories. Its football team won the
championship of the A. f. F. by de-
feating the seth division team at Paris
In May, 1919. came the welcome
orders to return home. Then it was
a full pack march up the long hill to
the last rest camp at Brest, a last
haunting call of who Won the War ,"
to the NJ. P. at the dock, and the divi-
sion sailed for home
AND. CIGARET GOT BLAME.