. awe/3.7. fit?“ ~; , filthy 0W7 ' wanna . Stories collected at the front eyother members of the staff of . The Star: as Stripes. Official Publication of‘ the rear. 4'- .1‘. x to note mom mom THE TRENCHES, no. 2 ~ ‘ One of a series of advertisements specially originated and produced for the Liberty Loan Committee - , entirely by members of the American Expeditionary Force. ' T was late in the afternoon, and a tireless Yankee regiment that had already pur- sued the retreating Germans across more than ten miles of France was resting for a few moments in a roadside ditch, a bat. tercd old road that wound its shady way through the ancient forest of Fere. You would have seen them all luxuriating. in their breathing spell, the young lieutenants lounging comfortably, the battalion com-‘ mander sitting with his back propped against a tree. His name was Leahv———Capt. Francis M. Leahy. of Lawrence. 21:329., one who had done his turn in the ranks and who used to tell of the days when he was orderly to Capt. Pershing out in the Philippines. He had just caught the signal from down the road that the regiment was to fall in and move on when, whining out of space, came a German shell. It plowed up the earth and stretched on the ground several men who were just get- ting to their feet, wounding some of them. it hit the tree against which the captain was leaning and snapped it off like‘an asparagus stalk. A piece of the shell struck the captain in the back and tore its way through his chest. “Goodbye, boys." he said. and his head sagged forward. Then it was as it, somewhere in the uni- verse. a Commander Invisible had called “Attention!" Captain Leahy raised his head. With clearing voice, he spoke the name of the officer to whom it would be his duty to turn over the battalion in the event of his being called away. “Lieutenant Hansen," -_ _. he said. “The command ..‘......- ,_ is ‘Forward.’ See the ””7”“ “wg‘jfio boys through.” Then he died. PRIVATE of the buck species was watching a plane duel in the skies. “Quite a sight," said a voice beside him, and his head nearly dropped ofl' when he saw that it belonged to the general com- manding the division. _ There is a story in that same division. about the same general, which describes how he was seen one day recently walking along and chatting with a top sergeant. Thiseh‘ows that a use has at last been found for top sergeants. That division did its share. and paid its price for the doing. when it helped to drive the Hun back across the Marne. That night someone softly opened the general's door, and then as softly closed it. And the word went around that he sat with his face buried in his hands, and his frame quivering with sobs. ' 3‘ ~ mm“. an term: ‘t HE was smiling, but pale, when they wheeled him in—a blackihaircd youth of 20—and he was still smiling when they tenderly transferred him to a cot after the doctors had counted seven machine gun bullet wounds. one in his ankle, three in .his side and three in his chest. When a Y. M. C. A. man brought writing paper through the ward he took a piece and asked for a p ncil. An attendant found him dead half an hour later with this be- ginning of a letter in his hand: I“Dear Mother: “We made an attack on the Germans today and drove them five miles. I am in a hospital tonight. I was slightly wounded in the leg." THE colonel had led thcmjntp the fight. and it was the colonel‘s'alleseoing eve which noticed that the little' 181ycarold private had been gassed. “Get back!” he shouted. “You’ve done your bit~gct back!" . So the little private dutifully got back. On the way he passed a farm. In a shed were six BOChQS whom the light had swept past without noticing. - Their hands went up in a jitfy. When ' the little privatereported at the dressing ' station for treatment. the six were still with him. . . ' -———n—. N the midst of the battle one yg‘ung lieu. tenant, running into‘a- pet of .his, showed'hiin under the flap of his'pocket- a little gold brooch. ' ' . "If anything should happen to me," he said, “try to get hold of this pin, will you, and when you get time ship‘ it back home to my mother." _ ,. . The other promised, and the lieutenant went his way. He had not gone 20 feet when he was struck byh shell and killed instantly. The pin is on itsway to America. WOUNDED doughboy was brought into a field dressing station. The. surgeon saw that one leg was badly shot up and said: “Well, it's a pretty tough one, but we'll have you 0. K. in a few weeks." “You’re wrong there, Major," reptiedihe wounded man. “You haven't seen this hole through my chest yet. I’ll be gone before night, but the only” kick I’ve got is that I. won’t be able to get back and help finish up the job.” - on to see that I not die m vain -~ -' Subscribe to ~
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