The History of the American Expedition Fighting the Bolsheviki Part 42

CORP. ROBT. M. PRATT

SGT. CHAS. V. RIHA

CORP. F. J. ROMANSKI

PVT. JOHN ROMPINEN

CORP. JOS. RYDUCHOWSKI

PVT. LEO SCHWABE

SGT. NORMAN ZAPFE

CORP. W. ZIMMERMAN

All of "M" Company, 339th Infantry.

Also MR. ERNEST RAND, and MR. FRANK OLMSTEAD, Y. M. C. A.

St. Anne Silver Medal

CORPORAL WALTER J. PICARD, "M" Company, 339th Inf.

St. Stanislaus Silver Medal

PVT. HAROLD METCALFE

PVT. ERNEST ROULEAU

PVT. FRANK STEPNAVSKI

COOK JOSEPH PAVLIN

COOK THEODORE ZECH

All of "M" Company, 339th Infantry

[Ill.u.s.tration: Officer seated at a desk in a small office.]

U. S. OFFICIAL PHOTO Major Nichols in His Railway Detachment Field Headquarters

[Ill.u.s.tration: Long parade of soldiers.]

LANMAN Ready to Head Memorial Day Parade

[Ill.u.s.tration: About fifty crosses with an American flag in the foreground.]

LANMAN American Cemetery in Archangel

[Ill.u.s.tration: Several hundred people standing outdoors.]

LANMAN Soldiers and Sailors of Six Nations Reverence Dead

[Ill.u.s.tration: Three rough wooden crosses in the foreground. A huge pile of logs in the background.]

U, S. OFFICIAL PHOTO Graves of First Three Americans Killed Fighting Bolsheviki--Obozerskaya, Russia

[Ill.u.s.tration: Parade on a city street.]

LANMAN Sailors Parade on Memorial Day, Archangel

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ship surrounded by ice.]

LANMAN Through Ice Floes in Arctic Homeward-Bound

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ship on the left and a spit of land on the right. In the center the sun is just touching the horizon.]

ROZANSKEY Out of White Sea into Arctic Under Midnight Sun

x.x.xIX

HOMEWARD BOUND

"At The Earliest Possible Date"--Work Of Detroit's Own Welfare a.s.sociation--"Getting The Troops Out Of Russia"--We a.s.semble At Economia--Delousers And Ball Games--War Mascots--War Brides--Remarkable Memorial Day Service In American Military Cemetery In Archangel--Tribute To Our Comrades Who Could Not Go Home--Our Honored Dead.

"At the earliest possible moment" was the date set by the War Department for the withdrawal of the troops from Russia. This was the promise made the American people during the ice-bound winter, the promise made more particularly to appease vigorous protests of "The Detroit's Own Welfare a.s.sociation," which under the leadership of Mr. D. P. Stafford, had been untiring in its efforts to move the hand of the War Department.

Congressmen Doremus and Nichols and Townsend had also been very active in "getting the Americans out of North Russia."

To us wearied veterans of that strange war, the nine months of guerrilla war, always strenuous and at times taking on large proportions,--to us the "earliest possible moment" could not arrive a minute too soon. We had fought a grim fight against terrible odds, we had toiled to make the defenses more and more impregnable so that those who relieved us might not be handicapped as we had been. We hated to be thought of as quitters, we suffered under the reproachful eyes of newly arriving veteran Scots and Tommies who had been mendaciously deceived into thinking we were quitters. We suffered from the thought that the distortion, exaggeration and partisan outcry at home was making use of half-statements of returned comrades or half-statements from uncensored letters, in such a way as to make us appear cry-babies and quitters. But down in our hearts we were conscious that our record, our morale, our patriotism were sound. We believed we were ent.i.tled to a speedy getaway for home. We accepted the promise with pleasure. We felt friendly toward the Detroit's Own Welfare a.s.sociation for its efforts and the efforts of others. We could have wished that there had not been so much excitement of needless fears and incitement of useless outcry. It cost us hard earned money to cable home a.s.surances to our loved ones that we were well and safe, so that they need not believe the wild tales that we were sleeping in water forty below zero, or thawing out the cows before we milked them, or simply starving to death. We could have wished that returned comrades who tried to tell the real facts and allay needless fears--the actual facts were d.a.m.nable enough--might not have been treated as shamefully as some were by a populace fooled by a mixed propaganda that was a strange combination, as it appears to us now, of earnest, sympathetic attempts to do something for "Detroit's Own," of bitter partisan invective, and of insidious pro-bolshevism.

For the cordial welcome home which was given to the Polar Bear veterans in July, our heartfelt appreciation is due. Veterans who marched behind Major J. Brooks Nichols between solid crowds of cheering home-folks on July 4th at Belle Isle could not help feeling that the city of Detroit was proud of the record of the men who had weathered that awful campaign. It was a greeting that we had not dreamed of those days away up there in the northland when we were watching the snow and ice melt and waiting news of the approach of troopships.

At Economia we a.s.sembled for the purpose of preparing for our voyage home. To the silt-sawdust island doughboys came from the various fronts.

By rail from Obozerskaya and Bolsheozerki, by barge from Beresnik and Kholmogori and Onega, came the veterans of this late side show of the great world war. With them they had their mascots and their War Brides, their trophies and curios, their hopeful good humor and healthy play spirit.

Who will not recall with pleasure the white canva.s.s camp we made on the "policed-up" sawdust field. Did soldiers ever police quite so willingly as they did there on the improvised baseball diamond, where "M" Company won the championship and the duffle-bagful of roubles when the first detachment of the 339th was delousing and turning over Russian equipment, and "F" Company won the port belt and roubles in the series played while the remainder of the Polar Bears were getting ready to sail.

Who will forget the day that the Cruiser "Des Moines" steamed in from the Arctic? Every doughboy on the island rushed to the Dvina's edge.

They stood in great silent throat-aching groups, looking with blurred eyes at the colors that grandly flew to the breeze. And then as the jackies gave them a cheer those olive drab boys answered till their throats were hoa.r.s.e. That night they sat long in their tents--it was not dusk even at midnight, and talked of home. A day or so later they spied from the fire-house tower vessels that seemed to be jammed in a polar ice floe which a north wind crowded into the throat of the White Sea.

Then to our joy a day or two later came the three transports, the long deferred hope of a homeward voyage.

Everyone was merry those days. Even the daily practice march with full-pack ordered by Colonel Stewart, five miles round and round on the rough board walks of the sawdust port, was taken with good humor.

Preparations for departure included arrangements for carrying away our brides and mascots.