New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-06-09

cordlng to his way of looking at
it, il had been won by the herois m
OF the entire regiment, so he pre-
scented II TO tht regiment. It is on
view today in a glass case in the
armory Of New Iork's famous old
G9th infantry
Donovan ito go back btu ~as
born IN Buffalo on Jan. /. 1885, the
SON of d red haired Irishman named
Tim Donovan He went TO Columbia
University, was q star quarterback
on the football team. ran in the
cross country team and was a mem
Der of the crew. After his gradus
ton, in 1907. he returned TO But
faIo to practice law.
There was a crack cavalry troop
in Buffalo. Donovan had only rid :
den a horse twice in his life, but
his overflowing energy impelled him
TO get into something strenuous, and
he joined this cavalry unit. He got
up early to perfect himself as a
horseman, and nine months after he
Joined the troop he had been elected
Cd plain.
shortly after the European war
broke out Donovan went to Europe
for the Rockefeller foundation 10 aid
in the distribution of milk to the
starving babies of Poland He got
back to this country just in time to
lead his cavalry unit to the Mexican
border in 1916.
In 1917 America entered the war.
Donovan had a bunch that the cav
airy wasn't going to play very i'm
portant part; SO he got himself
transferred to the Rainbow division.
Presently he found himself lieuten-
ant colonel of the 69th New York
infantry.
Toughened His Men
when the regiment went to
France Donovan began to tougher
his men. He used to make them
strip TO the waist, divide into two
lines and fight their wa" through
one another. He would make them
remove shoes. sock and puttees and
run for miles over the rough ground.
The soldiers "cussed" him in Amer
lean, French and Gaelic; the nick
name "Hardboiled Bill" was hung
on him. But Donovan kept at it.
His training bore fruit. The 69th
became a rough, tough outfit. In
July he led his regiment into action
on the River Ourcq. His outfit was
in advance of its division for four
days, during all OF which time 1t
was exposed to shell fire from three
sides. wild Bll' was wounded
twice; two of his adjutants were
killed at his side. one OF them being
Joyce klmer, the poet. But Dono-
van hung on, and at last relief came
and enabled the 69th to maintain its
position. This exploit won Donovan
the Distinguished Service Cross.
1t was in October that he won
the Congressional Medal OF Honor,
highest award this nation can be-
stow.
Leads Fierce Charge
1t was during a fierce American
advance near Landres and st.
Georges. American officers were not
supposed to wear their insignia into
battle. It made them too easy for
sharpsh ooters. But Donovan boldly
put on his Sam Browne belt, jump
ed out of his dugout, waved an au-
III, ,d vcttaA
his men:
Come on. They can't hit me and
they won't hit you. Let's co.
And go the regiment did. IT
hurled itself on barbed wire en-
tanglements, stamped out machine
gun nests, flung itself into shell
holes and worked it way forward 10y
inches-all the while with Donovan
at it's head. At last he was wounded
in the knee by a rifle bullet. But he
refused to be taken to the rear. In
stead he propped himself up in a
shell hole and directed the attack
from there until the objective had
been won.
When he returned to the regiment
after the armistice, he found. to his
surprise, that he had become hero
to his men.
After the troops returned to the
United States Donovan reentered
civilian life and resumed the prac-
tice of law. II wasn't long before he
was appointed United States district
attorney at Buffalo.
In 1925 Donovan was called tc
, Washington and made an assistant
attorney general. To start with he
convicted Col. Charles Forbes in The
infamous Veterans Bureau scandal