The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-11
ARGONNE HERO,
| WOUNDED, HIT
!. BY j. s. SHELL
Mayor of Exermont" in
Washington, Had Bit Of
Irony BefaII Him in Battle
RATED TOTALLY DISABLED
Veteran, with Splendid Record
Studying Journalism at
University of Missouri

Joseph S. Simpich. 1.-THE Mayor
S5of Exermont," is in Washington.
The title and name may not con-
vey much to the public, but to for
mer members of the Thirty-fifth
division, composed mostly of Mis-
souri, and Kansas troops, they re-
Ncan- the grim days of the Argonne
and the story of the boy whose
Argonne drive did not end at Sedan.
SERVED IN MEXICO.
Simpich, who is an 1895 model
from the hills of old Missouri,
coined the National Guard in the
summer of 1916 and served on the
#Mexican border. September 26,
1913. found him in the ranks of
rage OF the first guns of the Ar
.gonne. September 81 a bursting
sshell blew, him from his foxhole.
sresulting in AN injury to his ear
causing total deafness in that MEM
Der.
Two days later he was with his
company advancing against the
strongly fortified town of Exer-
mont, which was the last objective
of his division.
A machine gun bullet struck him
Tin his ankle, and knocked him to
) the ground. He examined the
wound, saw that it was not serious,
and continued his advance. He saw
!. his platoon of fifty-six men slowly
melt away, until only he and his
platoon commander remained.
In the street fighting in Exer-
mont, in an attempt to capture
machine gun. they were both shot
down. Three more bullets had
struck Simprich, one through the
6eshy part of the calf. one shat
tering the knee. and a third break
ing his thigh.
UNIT FELL BACK.
His unit fell back, being unable
ito hold the town through lack of
support. Left behind the German
line,- Simpich crawled through the
muddy streets of the Little town,
seeking shelter from the cold rain
and shell fire. For two days he
remained in the open. dragging hint
self from place. to place, lodging
German troops, and seeking shelter
las best he could. Another machine
gun bullet had struck him in his
left knee, and fragment OF shrap-
mel had pierced his left foot.
On the third day he found an
.open door in a large stone dwell
ing, and he crawled inside and
waited. On the following morning
an American barrage sent its shells
hurtling into the town, and his
hopes Were raised high.
81 1t seemed a bit of irony that a
shell from an American gun should
strike the house in which he lay,
and tear the roof down upon him.
The end of heavy oaken rafter
struck him. crushing his chest and
pinning him to the floor.
FOODLESS FOUR DAYS.
s. A few hours later he regained
consciousness, and after hours of
painful labor ne succeeded in clear
ing awayth debris somewhat, and
to slide the heavy beam 'from his
chest. His wait for deliverance
began anew. For four days he mad
been without food or water.
Late in the afternoon of the fifth
day he called to body of German
machine gunners who were passing
down the street in front of the
house, and they saw to it that he
was carried back to a field hos
pital. For five days he had been
the sole occupant of Exermont.
His stay in Germany was a long
one. Not until January 26, 1919,
after having undergone two Ger
man amputations, and having
Travelled all over interior Germany,
including Berlin, was he officially
released. and turned over to
Belgian hospital unit in the neutral
gore At the time of the Argonne
-he had weighed approximately $50
pounds.
In Liege, a week after his re-
lease, he weighed eighty-two pounds.
Today Simpich is rated by the Vet
Grams Bureau as permanently and
totally disabled. yet he is a student
of journalism in the University of
Missouri, with prospects of a splen-
did career before him.