Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 230, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 October 1918 — LETTER FROM COL. HEALEY [ARTICLE]

LETTER FROM COL. HEALEY

JASPER COUNTY’S HIGHEST MILITARY OFFICER PRAISES HIS BOYS.

The former very popular editor of the Republican, George H. Healey, writes a most interesting letter that will be greatly enjoyed by all who knew him: Camp Mills, N. Y., Slept. 27, 1918. My Dear Louis: Your very welcome letter of Sept. 24th reached me this morning after I had returned from a five mile hike through this very delightful suburb. Some three thousand men accompanied me, and I am certain all enjoyed it because of the marked contrast to the pine woods of Mississippi. It was just-cool enough to put marching spirit into the men and they swung along singing our splendid Indiana marching song.- While the regiment is not more than 25 per cent Indiana any more, the Hoosier appelation still remains and recently a vaudeville performer and song writer wrote us a very attractive marching song and our southern. comrades sing it with just as much vigor as though they had been born and reared on the banks of the Wabash or had received their musical training from childhood in Hoosier homes. When General Howze wa§ assigned to the 3sui division recently e invited suggestions for a division name and immediately cbbse the name of the “cyclone division." He gave the division a new whirlwind swing and when it was learned that we were going to get across as a division there was a feeling of real rejoicing. We had constructed a mighty fine division last fall and winter and they had been largely taken away for replacement but we had kept most of our officers and non-commissioned officers and with these we soon had a new division knee deep in training. I want to say a .ew jvords in praise of these southern boys who now compose 60 per cent or more of this division. They are a mighty fine lot of men, stalwart, earnest and well qualified for the task they are to help perform. They are well disciplined, they are rugged, they can fight, they can shoot. They are the tallest lot of men I have ever seen. This morning I said to one captain, “You have a great many tall men,” and he replied “Yes, sir, in my first platoon every man is over 6 feet, 1 inch, and in the second platoon every man is 6 feet or more. Each platoon has about 60 men, so you can see what giants we have. I believe I am safe in saying that in the regiment there are 1,000 men who are six feet or mone tall. There are several as tall as 6 feet, 4 Inches. Surprisingly these men have gained very much in weight and have straightened up very much since entered service. I saw a fine, looking soldier while at bombing practice about a month ago and asked him how tall he was and he answered 6 feet, 3% inches. Then I asked him" how much he weighed and he said 170 pounds. A further conversation disclosed that he had been in the service just five weeks and that he bad gained 24 pounds during that time, although he admitted he had performed the hardest work during those five weeks that he had ever done in his,life. All of which goes to show that Uncle Sam has a wonderful army in the making and‘that the American citizen is awake to the fact that the very principles of human freedom are endangered and proposes to protect them whatever the cost

Tthe 151st Infantry, which has received many distinctions since It entered service more than a year ago, Is to send six hundred men to Freeport, N. Y., tomorrow afternoon to assist in the liberty loan drive. Our band is also to go and we are today selecting the men. It is expected to have as fine a lot of soldiers as was ever assembled for an exhibition drill. I am afraid I am so enthusiastic on this subject that I Might tire you, but I Want you and all Indiana people to know that the officers and noncommissioned officers Who compose the frame work es the regiments that left Fort Benjamin Harrison a year ago yesterday have put In a faithful year In training and all we ask is that they watch the dust the cyclone division kicks up when It gets its Chance at the bans. The replacement men who went over in April, May and June, have acqulted themselves with credit and a goodly number have paid the supreme price in the fight for liberty. Their deeds of valor serve to inspire their comrades now on their way to greater determination than ..ever before. Surely the Kaiser would have additional cause for concern if he could bear our three and a half thousand men sing:

“And when we inarch into Berlin This is what we’ll do, We’ll change the river Rlhine To River Wabash So they never will forget you INDIANA.” Well Louis, 1 had and thoroughly enjoyed an aeroplane flight Monday afternoon. I learned in the morning that I might get consent to make a* flight and so I took with mtf to the Mineola field, Lt. Col. Dreisbach, Capt. Chaney and Lt. Lippert and we all went up at the same time, each with, an experienced pilot, of course. I was in the air about 27 minutes and went up about 4,600 feet. The experience was marvelous and I enjoyed every second of it. We got up speed of 100 miles or more an hour and got clear over to the edge of the ocean and sailed over villages and across almost the width of the island. I can not picture in words the scene presented. I had two or three principal impressions. First, that I was not the least bit alarmed although I was not even strapped in, the belt having been about five inches too short to go around me. Second, that when high in the air the speed of the machine is not at all noticeable and I thought we were going very slow. Third, that I found my hands cramped a trifle from holding on to the sides of the car the first five minutes after starting up and that I then let loose and was just as comfortable as I ever was In a rocking chair. Fourth, that I found a considerable tendency to lean to the right when the pilot was banking the machine to the left to turn around. Fifth, that while things beneath were minimized in size, there was very fine definition to every object. Streets, boulevards, country roads, trees, buildings, tents, railroads, stream lines, small lakes and when we were fairly low down marching troops, teams, automobiles, etc., were as plain as though viewed from a much nearer distance. You have seen the miniature Japanese gardens. • They are very much like the panorama presented when one looks down from a few thousand feet in the air., Ido not know whether or not I would Mke the air service as a regular thing but for an adventure it certainly was a remarkably enjoyable thing. I had heard from Capt Art Tuteur who visited me last Sunday, that Fred had been wounded. lam glad it "is not serious and*! trust that he will soon be well again. What a grand thing for you and Mrs. Hamilton and Marie that he can visit you. He is certainly the very «d-

vance guard of the United States warriors in tbis great conflict and I am sure has done a great work and one that deserves for him the highest honor. If that could be shown by having him granted a commission as a second lieutenant of madhine guns I should be mighty glad to have him assigned to my regiment, where two vacancies now exist. Even if the regiment was overseas at the time I should be glad-to have him come over ; and join us. It will be a great thing for us and I Will be personally highly honored. I am not sure that this can be accomplished but I believe it can be by the President himself if he can be reached. Present the matter to Will Wood, who is a real fellow and gets there whenever he sets out to do a thing. Give Fred my very best regards. Tell him that his old company comander. is very proud of him and hopes to have him serving as an officer in his regiment. If we get into England, as Is quite probable, I shall try to locate Rev. Winn. I have three splendid chaplains in the regiment, a Baptist, a Methodist and Catholic and they work togther in fine harmony. Surely Jasper county is doing a great work in the war. I am glad it has abundant crops, four or five years weather conditions were against it some. I am glad that there is lots of money and hope that the liberty loan is largely subscribed to. You know our boys are working for S3O a month and many of'them alloting half of that and from the balance paying the monthly premium on SIO,OOO life Insurance. Certainly those who ao-e affluent with .war price prosperity will put every dollar they can at the disposal of the governmen. It has been so long since I wrote to you before that I find it difficult to close. I must tell you about seeing Harye Robinson in New Orleans. Mrs. Healey and I called ar the Times-Pica-yune office one evening lately and had a nicel visit with him. He was making about SSO a week on that paper but was getting ready to return to Mississippi to resume farming. He was talking cotton in several bales and evidently some agricultural prosperity has hit him* also. Vera’s visit with me was a very pleasant one and’'she was present when I made my aeroplane flight and was very anxious to make a flight herself but there is a strict rule against taking civilians, so she was disappointed. She likes her work in Washington and is getting along nicely. .Will close now. Remember me to Mrs. Hamilton and Marie and and who may inquire. Tell Jack Montgomery 1 had his good letter, and believe. me it was a good one. Jack is one fellow who writes just as he talks. Sincerely, GEORGE H. HEALEY, Col. 151 M Inf.