Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1929-11-07
Watauga's Youngest Vet
Tells of His Experiences

Ira Pennell, son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Will Pennell of Blowing Rock, has
the distinction, so far as the DEM
ocrat can ascertain, of being the
youngest Watauga county man to
serve during the world war. Young
Pennell was attached to Battery D,
18th Field Artillery, a Wadesboro,
N. G. unit when lad of less than
fifteen summers, and saw action in
the Argonne Forest. He has written
for the Democrat a brief sketch of
his experiences:
81 arrived in France with only a
few weeks of training, and my out
fit was Immediately sent to the Ar
gonne Forest for action. l arrived
there about twelve o'clock, midnight,
with heavilyloaded caisson of am
munition. My first experience of
danger was when shrapnel shell
exploded a short distance from me,
sending fragment through my cais-
son, completely wrecking my outfit,
exciting my team and causing a run
away, ending by breaking one of
my horses legs. BY my captains
help and other buddies, l recovered,
and we were soon on our way to
the front
Luck came my way for few
weeks. Pressing onward, we ad-
vanced thirty kilometers within for
ty hours without food or sleep. At
this time we captured a porg "a hog)
and garden of vegetables. We at
once prepared our meal, which con-
sisted of pork in large pieces, cooked
all together with our vegetables, the
vegetables being ,unwashed and un-
peeled. We ate in perfect darkness,
at the hour of II o'clock. We then
spread our pup tents and bunked for
our much-needed rest and sleep, feel
ing very safe from our enemies.
However, in the midst of our
slumbers, we were disturbed by the
first sergeant's danger signal: Get
ready to leave at once; saddle and
hook up your horses Those were
our orders. Doing as instructed, II
began loosening my tent. l STUN
bled over an object; feeling about,
discovered corpse. 1 had been
sleeping closely by the side of
dead German. In my hurry thought
nothing about it.
"We scarcely moved out of the
valley until the enemy laid heavy
barrage. Behind us, as we climbed
the hill, we could see our camping
ground mass of smoke and fire. !
Over our heads the airplanes roared,
searching for our company to drop
their shells.
"About the break of day we ar
rived in a heavy woodland. We linn
bered our pieces and prepared for
action in very few minutes, and
laid barrage on our enemy. A few
hours of fire-and l awoke in va
cation hospital with a Red Cross
nurse ministering to my needs.
asked her why l was there, and what
was wrong. 'Gassed a little" she
said; you'll be all right
''In about three weeks, as the doc
tor made his morning call, he slapped
me on the back, saying, My boy,
you can go back to the front in the
morning. You must see how many
Germans you can kill and capture.
Issuing me a new outfit of clothing
and a new gun, l started for the
front next morning.
"After riding on the train for
hours, l got some real French cham
paigne. Not knowing the danger, /
drank too heavily. The effect of the
drink caused me to lose my gun. l
could not go to the front without
a gun, so turned in at an American
E. and R. Station for new equip
ment. I then returned to my outfit,
again ready for duty.
"a few more weeks of hard fight
ing, then the Armistice was signed
The firing ceased. Our captain lined
us up, telling us "a few more weeks,
then back to America and home We
landed at Newport News, and were
honorably discharged at Columbia,
S. c. Arriving in Boone, l was re-
ceived and welcomed most heartily
by my old friends"