The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1944-11-23

to say a prayer, and 1t was obvious
he meant the final prayer. 1t was
as though he had said, Brother,
you may not know it, but your goose
is cooked"
He said a short prayer, and
the weak, gasping man tried in
vain to repeat the words after
him. When he had finished the
chaplain said, "John, you're do
ing fine, you're doing ine."'Then
he rose and dashed off on other
business, and the ward boys
went about their duties.
The dying man was left utterly
alone, just lying there on his litter
on the ground, lying in an aisle, be-
aus the tent was full. OF course it
couldn't be otherwise, but the awful
aloneness Of that man as he went
through the last few minutes Of his
life was what tormented me I felt
like going over and at least holding
his hand while he died, but it would
have been out of order and I didn't
do it. I wish now I had.
Outside Of the occasional peaks OF
bitter fighting and heavy casualties
that highlight military operation, !
believe the outstanding trait in any
campaign is the terrible WEAKNESS
that gradually comes over every.
body.
Soldiers become exhausted in
mind and in soul as well as physi.
cally. They acquire a WEAKNESS that
is mixed up with boredom and lack
Of all gaiety. To lump them all to.
gether. you just get damn sick Of
it all.
The infantry reaches a stage
of exhaustion that is incompre-
hensible to you folks back home.
The men in the First division,
for instance, were in the lines 20
days-walking and fighting all
that time, day and night.
After a few days of such
activity, soldiers pass the point
of known human WEAKNESS.
From then on they 60 into a sort
of second-wind daze. They keep
going largely because the other
fellow does and because you
can't really do anything else.
Have you ever in your Life
worked so hard and so long tina
you don't remember how many
days it was since you ate last o,
didn't recognize your friends wher
you saw them? I never have either
but in the First division, during tina
long, hard fight around Troina, 6
company runner came slogging W
to a certain captain and said, ex
citedly, I've got to find Captain
Blank right away. Important mes
sage"
The captain said, But I am Cap
tain Blank. Don't you recognize
me?"
And the runner said, i've got t.
find Captain Blank right away" Anc
he went dashing off. They had t.
run to catch him.
Men in battle reach that stag.
and still 60 on and on. As for tn,
rest of the army-supply troops
truck drivers, hospital men, en-
gineers - they too become ex
hausted but not so inhumanly. Will
them and with us correspondents it.
the ceaselessness, the %endlessnes!
of everything that finally worms it
way through you and gradual.
starts to devour you.
It's the perpetual dust chok-
ing you, the hard ground wrack-
ing your muscles, the snatched
food sitting i'll on your stomach,
the heat and the flies and dirty
feet and the constant roar of en-
gines and the perpetual moving
and the settling down and
the 60. 60, 60, night and day,
and on through the night again.
Eventually it all works itself int
an emotional tapestry Of one dull
dead pattern-yesterday is tomo1
row and Troina is Randazzo an,
when will we EVER stop and In
so tired.
I've noticed this feeling has begu
to overtake the var correspondent
themselves. It is true that we don
fight on and on like the infantry
that we are usually under fire onl
briefly and that, indeed, we live bel
ter than the average soldier. Ye
our lives r strangely consumin
in that we do live primitively an
at the same time must delve int
ourselves and do creative writing.