The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-11-10
VETERAN NEVER
AT FRONT PAYS
BIGGEST PRICE
Hurt in Truck Accident, Serv.
iceman Spends Ten Years
in Hospitals
ALWAYS is OPTIMISTIC
Bones and Flesh Grated by
Surgeons in Effort to Aid
in Walking

Day finds Corporal Walter A. klecl
recovering from one more Of series
of operations designed to restore the
use of his hips and enable him to
walk.
Corporal Kleck has spent more
time in hospitals as a result of his
war injuries than any other dis
abled veteran now at the govern
ment's great Walter Reed Hospital
He hasn't walked for five years.
Corporal Kleck has been display
ing his heroism in the ten years
since the war. He did not fall glor-
iously on the battle field, victim Of
gas or she'll That wasn't his job.
He was never less than 20 miles
from the front, for he was driving a
supply truck and when he was
wounded it was because one truck
crashed into another.
But Corporal Kleck is victim Of
the war. His sacrifice has been as
great as anyone's and more than
once in these ten years it has
brought him to the brink Of death.
There are many other disabled vet
Grams today, suffering, who were not
hurt in actual combat. Some Of them
feel keenly the fact that it wasn't a
bullet instead. Theirs, they have
often told hospital officials, was the
worst luck Of all.
This story is of what the war
meant to Kleck and, inferentially, to
so many others. Kleck, upon re-
quest, told it as follows:
my home is in Niagara Falls, N.
Y. l was q metal worker. | was II
when / was drafted, sent to Camp
Dix and then to France, as member
of the 312th supply train. was
put to driving big truck. Oul
headquarters were at st. Nazaire
and it was our job to get all kinds
of supplies to the front.
Injured in Truck Crash
"My troubles began at Nevers, af-
ter year over there. We were driv-
ing from st. Nazaire to DIXON. The
convoy stopped at the bottom Of a
hill and the truck back of me had
bad brakes. When it struck me
was thrown back in my own truck
and wrenched so that l was laid up
for several days, wound in adhesive
plaster. Then pneumonia and flu
got me and l spent my first ter
weeks in a hospital.
"This was in February, after the
armistice. I was sent back to the
states and mustered out at Camy
Upton in July. / went home fol
five months and during that tim
NV, ev0;,,1 &,,ac hn;,,r +rao%al honayy
it was getting worse.
Eventually l was able to worl
again and went back to my old occu
patton for more than year.
But early in 1922 my spine an,
legs gave out on me and they dag
nosed the case as arthritis.
Il spent 13 months in the Marin
hospital at Buffalo, undergoing
physio- therapy. / was just barrel
able to get around when l was dis
charged, and spent eight months a
home again. ! couldn't work, o
course.
Next it was three months at tn
Naval hospital in Brooklyn, wit
more electricity treatment.
"All this time l had been in ter
rible pain. When this pain finall
began to decrease I found my spin
had become rigid and immovable.
From Brooklyn l came here
Walter Reed, and here my legs be
came flexed, gradually DRAWN
themselves up to constant sittin
position. At times / had SO pound
of weights on both legs, with tn
idea Of Strengthening them.
After nine months at Waite
Reed they sent me to Hot Sprin,
for electric and hot bath treatmen
was there % months and the pai
began to subside. For the first
months I was in bed, getting II
rarely to take the baths.
"A year ago last September | wa
allowed to go homo again. I coul
only move about little, stopped an
bent, with two canes.
More Hard Luck
ION Christmas Eve one of II
canes slipped. l landed on the flo,
with a broken hip. This time
was five tough weeks at a privat
hospital, and then back to Waite
Reed in a plaster cast.
"Out of the cast and into a ira
tic1, q system Of weights and cou
terweights all over the bed pullir
at the break in the hip and maxim
it straight. It was a lot more pai
Of course, but you get used to it
two or three weeks.
''Then they found that | had d,
veloped ankylosis in both hips.
other words, I hadn't any hips. The
wouldn't move. Colonel William
Keller, who does the big operation
here, found there was no trace
the old hip joints left-just stiff ar
solid.
$50 Colonel Keller decided to gi,
me some new hips. He had to 20
there and chisel where he thong
the old ones were, and make ne
joints. Then he takes and cups
grinding it off to smooth surfac
Before finishing he took a piece
fat from my leg and put it up
the new joint. He got a three-ine
spike and put it into the bone, al
then he sewed me up. They won
tell me what the spike is for.
Other Operations to Come
HE did that to hip number on
nine weeks ago. Now can NOV
that hip, and he's going after tn
one that was broken. He has /
graft apiece Of my shin bone to pu
into that one and give new joint.
after this operation they've z,
to 80 back to the other hip in abo,
two unOnths and put another pie,
d bone III that.
II I'm lucky ! won't have to u.
braces % my legs. won't ever |
abb 70 work, but maybe can =,
S1ound With the canes again. Mayb
III b having in six or eigh
months.
I'm lucky to come out as well I
I heve. ! rsalize that when / thin
cf some Of the other fellows ~
spon especially those With fami
IL / haven't ever swhi,npere
~ -, hot cnce I had to yell whe
~ wsrs bandseing me. Prid
n3 49, - iron doing il to