The Phoenix index., 1941-04-19

Every shot fired, / could see the
lust kick up Just in front of the
enemies trenches. BY slightly in
creasing the daylight" between my
front sight and the objective,
ttrench) I knew 1 was making it
warm for any living thing inside
CT the trench. had fired about
rounds when a remington bull
let hit me like & ton of brick.
was in ''kneeling" position The
tlrst thing / wanted was drink
OF water. 1 have found this TO be
true in every case where one is
wounded. On looking down, my
ragged trousers resembled, what ]
thought was my intestines hanging
out. 1t was then that I let out
sream that could be heard for
miles.
Sgt. Lovejoy (white) Of the hos
plUal corps caught Inc by the nap
Of the neck, yanked me back down
the hill, gave me shot in the arm
and that settled me for awhile. ]
learned few days after CHS that
Bug Kelley of my company was
shot in the mouth Just after 1 was
shot. Poor Kelley died at Loc-Loc
Isabella Prov. later on NV reason
form screaming, was due to the
TACT that men shot in the stomach
in those days were dispatched to a
boat called the Relief for imJne-
diate shipment to The United States.
About two cases out of a hundred
lived to make the trip. Instead CT
being shot in the stomach, I found
that the blood dripping in my torn
trousers made it look as if my in
testines were falling out. The fact
IS, was only shot in the upper tigh.
Nevertheless, creamed sometnine
awful
7 have found that a coed stiff
battle acts as an opiate upon Ger
tain disease. Headache, toothsche,
sore feet, fatigue, etc. ceases to ex-
iSG when under fire l was COM
pany clerk and made up the sick
hport 365 days in the field, on hike
CT in Garrison. ! can not remem-
ber a day that Pvt Mitchell (noW
| dead was not on sick report. On
tie march, poor Mitchell was al
ways Stragfling in the rear of the
! column. In case We were fired on
(ambuSh) Pvt. Mitchell was found
at the head of the column. How
he got there, no one was able to
say. Thus, 1 am convinced that fir
ing has a curative effect upon min
or ills.
The heads only of Mitchell, Jones
and Wright, all Of my company were
located by members of the 22nd
Infantry (white) some days later.
Their heads had been severed from
the body. Sharpened bamboo poles
were showed thru neck and tighten
ed with Zi-huc-ca a tropical vine
used as rope. These poles were
placed along the trails at given in
tervals These human sculls were.
not only repulsiye. but had an at
tendance to stimulate new effots On
the parts of other stragglers, to
keep up with the command.
Many are led to believe that
crouch, melancholy and silence reign
on the firing line. I have found
this to be incorrect. During a ltll
| in battle, hurnor, gayety and very
interesting jokes are noted. Some
of the most interesting events of the
past are often related by a comrade
who is dead in the next minute.
During the absence of heavy artil-
lery, there is general goodnatured
conversation going on at all times.
| 1t was a in trench, that I heard
very good natured and always hu-
merous Negro soldier, sing as fol-
lows: 'If you don't believe am
Sinking, just lock what hole
am in." This dear copnrade, died
within &c minutes. This and many
other saying, just before grim
death approaches, will follow me,
even now until 1 too am lowered
into my grave.