From the train window I saw my sweetheart and my folks for what was to be the last time until after the war. I could hardly restrain myself from climbing right out the window.
1. Bound for France
From the train window I saw my sweetheart and my folks for what was to be the last time until after the war. I could hardly restrain myself from climbing right out the window.
There were two of us who left our little town of Lebanon, Ill., that day - William Meinhard and myself. We shook hands with a few of the more patriotic townspeople who were there to see us off. Many, with a slap on the back, quoted the words which we heard a million times a day: "Nothing will be too good for you soldiers when you victoriously return."
In Belleville, Ill., we joined the rest of the men who had been selected for that draft. We were marched through the streets and then, later in the day, were put aboard a train. Our destination was Louisville, Ky.
We arrived at Camp Taylor, Ky., about eight o’clock that night. We were met by the gang who had come to the camp two weeks before us. Hoots and jeers greeted us - after all, we were only rookies, they were soldiers. This was all good-natured fun.
We unloaded, formed a line and were marched through the camp. While we were being herded through the bull pen, our pedigree taken, shots and vaccine given, we were made to understand in no uncertain way that "we were in the Army now!"
We were then issued mess kits and safety razors. From there we were sent to a supper consisting of macaroni and cheese. This did not taste like home cooking and was flatly refused by many.
After chow we were assigned to our iron bunks. These had no mattresses. We slept on one folded blanket and covered with another. How wonderful it was to have even these two blankets we were to find out later.
Army life in the United States during World War I was not like home life. Here we were told when to go to bed, when to eat, when to talk, when to sleep and especially, oh most especially, when to get up. For most of us it seemed unendurable.
At first I was assigned to Company I, but did not stay there long until I was transferred to Headquarters Company. How this came about I do not know. In this company we knew more and did less than the Infantry companies, but it did not last long as I was soon transferred again, to Camp Logan, Texas. At Camp Logan I was placed back in the Infantry, Co. F, 132nd regiment. With this outfit I was to serve until my subsequent wounding and capture.
On our way to Texas, we passed through my home town of Lebanon. This was in April, 1918. From the train window I saw my sweetheart and my folks for what was to be the last time until after the war. The train stopped for only a few minutes. I could hardly restrain myself from climbing right through the window. I so wanted to be with them all for just a little while before I went across.
My stay in Texas was brief, lasting only about a month. Then we boarded a train for the long and weary ride to New York. At the end of this long and monotonous ride, during which we had only cold canned food to eat, we welcomed the army kitchens again. The meals served in these were at least warm.
On May 24, 1918, we boarded a ship bound for France. After we had been packed in like sardines in a can, we were handed a card which we were told to fill out and sign. We dated and signed the card, while the rest was already filled in. These cards were to our folks at home telling them that we had arrived safely in France.
We were packed somewhere down in the bottom of the ship and compelled to stay there. Everyone was about half sick from the foul air in these tight quarters even before we left port. A cheer went up when we felt the ship move. We were going out to sea, and though there might be enemy submarines, what was more important to us was that there would be fresh air.
Crap games were a great and almost incessant part of a soldier’s life. As the fresh air revived the men, it also brought back a revival of the game.
When we were well out to sea, too far out to swim back, we were allowed on deck. There it was so crowded that you moved when the rest moved, stood still when they did. Guards were there to see that we moved on till we landed back in our own living quarters, the stifling ship’s bottom.
We were all sea-sick at one time or another. You will hear some boast of never being sea-sick, or not being scared when they went over the top. I think they must have been so sea-sick or so scared at the time that they remembered none of it.
As this old ship sailed toward France, everything seemed to get worse, especially our meals. These had been cut to two a day. Most of them consisted of one wiener, a slice of bread, and half a peach. We all finally got so hungry that there was no order at meal time - everyone just grabbed. Some would get a little more. Some would get nothing.
One night when we were in mid-ocean we were lined up for mess and had been for some time. (I think some of the boys got in line for the evening meal as soon as they finished breakfast. We were terribly hungry and actually think we would have starved if it had not been for the garbage cans. These contained left-overs from the tables of the officers and ship’s crew. This garbage tasted better than what we had for our meals.) After what seemed like hours of waiting in line, we were told that the doors would soon open.
When the doors did open, instead of the expected rush, there was a sudden fallback. The cook had prepared a meal all right. Only the stench of the rotten fish from which he had prepared it made us all suddenly and staggeringly sick.
Threats of mutiny ran through the crowd, but before this mutiny could be organized, the boys themselves restored order. A committee was organized to report these conditions to the General in Command. He immediately issued an order to get us something to eat that was fit to eat. At ten o’clock that night we were again admitted to the dining roam, to be fed the first decent meal we’d had since we boarded the ship. After this, in general, the meals were edible.
There is truth to the saying "Nothing is so bad but that it couldn’t be worse." If they had thrown those rotten fish in the garbage cans, we would have lost an important food supply.
Being in mid-ocean before the day of radio, one would not have thought news would be so plentiful. However, there was more news - unofficial news, that is - on that ship in five minutes than a newspaper could carry in a week. Rumor after rumor came. One soldier would come in with bulging eyes and open mouth screaming that the ship was sinking and we were all trapped. Another came with the report that the ship was on fire. Then the news that the ship was disabled beyond repair and we would drift aimlessly or be sunk by some roving enemy sub. At one time we were reported surrounded by subs, another time a submarine had slipped up on us, captured our crew of 1,100 men and taken them on board their ship.
Numberless submarines were reputedly sighted by our boys, but somehow our gunner could never spot them. I believe once he did fire a couple of shots at one. I am satisfied if our gunner had sunk even a small portion of the submarines our boys credited him with sinking, Germany would have been completely without U-boats.
After a 12-day voyage, we landed in Brest, France. While we lay in harbor there for several hours before unloading, we were photographed from every angle.
During this time we amused ourselves by throwing pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to French men and boys who crowded around our ship in small boats. There was a mad scramble for the coins and cries of disappointment as some missed the boats and sank into the sea. Our money did not float as did some of the foreign coins which we obtained later.
This episode of throwing the coins to the waiting hands, followed by the reckless spending by our boys on their arrival in France, gave the French people the idea we were all wealthy. This, of course, resulted in prices shooting sky high on any and all items in which the Yanks might be interested.
After what had seemed an interminable trip across, we were overjoyed to finally leave the ship. We were marched into what we were told was Napoleon’s old barracks. The barracks was surrounded by high stone walls on which guards were stationed. The first night in our new quarters was uneventful. We were all exhausted, and more than ready to hit the sack. It was wonderful to be able to stretch out, to relax, to breathe fresh air again, and have our feet on solid ground again.
Characteristic of the Yank, by morning we were fully recovered. Even the speed with which we were being moved to the front was too slow for most of us. We had been idle too long. We craved action.
While our officers were awaiting orders for our next move, the boys themselves went into conference. Small groups of soldiers could be seen all during the day holding consultation. By nightfall the plan of action was completed, and definitely decided upon. What later proved to be the first successful drive of the outfit was about to begin.
The American Yank, as you know, is the most efficient soldier on earth. His ability to become a leader in any case of necessity has been proven over and over. When there is an objective to be reached - whether it be in war, in love, or in some building in the heart of a little French town - he is bound to reach it. This first objective was the building wherein was to be found a variety of French wines, delicious and otherwise, waiting to be served by a variety of French beauties, also delicious and otherwise.
Although not one of the separate groups knew the plans of any of the other groups, an observer would have sworn they were taking orders from a common leader. However, without orders, lacking maps or directions, they ultimately reached the self-same objective. How they reached it, the first to be searched out and reached at the beginning of any war, can now be told without fear of guard house or court martial.
As I mentioned before, we were surrounded by high stone walls. Guards patrolled all exits and entrances, besides being stationed atop these walls. But remember, these were Yanks inside those walls - Yanks who wanted out. Sometime during the night they began going over those walls. So surprising and powerful was their rush, and so great their enthusiasm, that the guards were literally swept along with the "attacking" forces.
Some of the officers who were still up and about at that hour took it upon themselves to try to round up and return the boys before their absenteeism was discovered. This handful of officers was no match for that many soldiers, so they did the only thing they could. They decided to dive in and help consume the ammunition (wine) and thereby end the battle as soon as possible.
All during the following day, Yank soldiers and officers drifted back into camp. That evening everyone - sergeants, corporals and privates - were lined up for a lecture. After the lecture, this being the Army, these same sergeants were promoted to top-notchers, corporals to sergeants and many privates to corporals.
The following day we started on our long and tedious journey to the front. This journey consisted of various means of travel - hiking, riding in trucks and freight trains. The trains were very crowded, standing room only. If anyone tried to lie down, he was sure to get a hob-nailed shoe planted in his face. All in all, the train ride was anything but comfortable.
We finally came within sight of the observation balloons and hearing of the artillery guns. Here we halted, to await further orders. We were to move up as we were needed, which proved to be not too long a wait.
We were marched into a woods and ordered to pitch our tents. Searching for the driest places we could find for this purpose proved to no avail. We were soon told that, according to Army regulations, our pup tents must be pitched in orderly rows, so many feet apart. Naturally, this put some of us on dry ground and some of us in water holes. We dug down about ten inches to solid dirt, using the mud to pack around the bottom of the tents.
It was here in the woods, on the second night of our stay, that I received the shock to my nerves from which I never fully recovered.
