On Wednesday at noon in the mess-hall, our revered major made a speech. Unfortunately, I was in such a financial and gastronomic situation that I found it more agreeable to eat at the café. I missed the speech, but the next paragraph will give you its substance as retailed to me by a reliable person.
“Orders have been issued, gradually to reduce the personnel of the laboratory at the rate of 20 men a month. In addition, several men are to be sent home as convoys for negatives now in the lab. This means that by Aug. 1 we shall be down to a very few men. By Aug. 31 we may expect that only those who are to stay until the very end. That will be about a dozen others and myself (the major). I have no wife or dependents or business calling me back; I want to stay and I am sure there are others like me. I will try to send home first those who are married have bona fide claims of dependency or want or who come under any of the other General Orders relative to return and discharge. We have work to do for some time yet and the finishing of it depends on you. Let us have no more gold-bricking and no more demands as to when you are going home.”
Now it is hard for you to see anything but candor and truth in that, but I know better. I know the politics and the suavity that the words carry. I know that the major just let out a few smooth words, because he was ordered to let the men know that some were going, and thus keep up the morale. I know that when he says those who deserve it will go first, he means, not those who really have wives, dependents or jobs, nor those who have had the longest service, but any one who shakes him by the hand or pats him on the back. That is something you know I won’t do. And to crown it all, I believe he hasn’t a very well-defined conception himself, of what it is all about; Signal Corps headquarters told him to do something and he did it, smoothly and well.
It is however, entirely reasonable that by August the place should be cleaned out. Return figures indicate that before the end of May half of the 2,000,000 will have been sent back. The same figures show that by July only the Army of Occupation will remain, out of all combat troops, and that will be mostly regular army men. That’s not so very bad. Besides, 2 batches of men, one of 28, the second of 75, came to this lab. after our crowd of 36. That gives me a little priority. I won’t be the last to leave.
The speech got about the reception it merited. The boys talk a lot about not believing any of it, but each is figuring how he can get back. Nevertheless, they are on to the major, and there are not many that he fooled. I don’t place much reliance in his words, but the fact that headquarters was the font and source cheers me some.
Let me tell you another good one. About two months ago there was a movement to give enlisted men in the A.E.F., particularly in the S.O.S., a certificate of meritorious service, where long, hard, uncongenial and undramatic work had earned a right to some recognition. Our force was allowed 24 and Lt. Cushing, as the officer of longest service in the lab., designated to name the men. Of course he showed me the list. I made several changes, eliminating my name, and I think with the exception of my name, he let my changes stand. When the citations were all written the major vetoed the proposition on the ground that work like ours did not merit such recognition.
Later it was proposed to send a D.S.C. to the widow of Lt. Estep, our one casualty in action. H wasn’t by any means our best photographer, but he certainly had what the army calls “guts”. He went nearer to fighting than any other of our men. Some recognition, even posthumous, would be very decent. The major squelched that.
And today the same major went to Tours, S.O.S. headquarters, to be decorated with the French order of the Legion of Honor. Truly it’s a great little war.
Next post April 13.
Letters from Sidney Friend During The Great War 