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Image provided by: New York State Military History Museum
6 THE WADSWORTH GAS ATTACK a n d RIO GRANDE RATTLER Uniform Changed to Meet War Conditions W ith the A m erican Expeditionary Army, P r a n c e —Samm y will never look the sam e as he did w h en he carried Ms punch to France* F irst off the sergeants-chauffeurs gave up their cam p a ign hats on the road and wore instead the little khaki fore-and-aft Belgian cap, cut ju s t like the French soldier’s cap w h ich is blue. Of course it was against regulations to w e a r an um m iform cap, but the regulations never considered the flop ping of a hatbrim against a chauffeur’s eyes a t forty m iles an hour. So a t headquarters they w inked a t the violation. W h en the first battalions w e n t into the trenches the slouchy cam p a ign h a t was the m o st aw k w ard piece of equipm e n t in Sam m y’s whole kit. H e tried slinging the h a t at Ms side, but it fell into the mud and was tram p led on and lost. N e v e r having w o rn th e ir steel helm e ts for any considera ble tim e before the troops didn’t know until they w ere in the trenches th a t th e space be tw e e n the band and the head perm its the wind to blow through. This is fine in sum mer. B u t w inter was only a week or two away. Some of the fellows discovered th a t you could use the chauffeur’s type of Belgian cap for a head-w a rm e r under the helm et. It also serves as a pad, taking up some of the pressure of the steel hat. And it is sm a ll enough to fit into the pocket w h en you’re not using it. New Cap Adopted. The quarterm a s ter of th e first contingent got busy on the doughboy’s tip and ordered a F rench factory to tu r n out enough fore- and-aft caps of a special design to equip the whole outfit. L a ter the new cap was adopted for the whole arm y . Officers w e a r th e ir insignia pinned to the front peak and the enlisted m a n ’s branch of the service is indicated by the color of a little braid sewed along the edges. The old fam iliar A m erican leggins are about to go the way of the unw ieldy cam paign hat. In the mud of the fighting front our troops found th a t the leggins let in mud betw e e n the bottom of the leggins and the shoe-tops and this mud seeps down into the shoes. H e reafter troops on the front will w e a r the spiral cloth puttees of the British. They get muddy, too, but they wind over the shoe-tops so as to prevent the mud from getting inside the shoes. Sleeveless leath e r coats are another article of clothing w h ich will m a k e Sammy look like a different soldier. T h e y will be issued to all branches on th e fighting front and they are considered even b e tter than the fur coats dealt to the B ritish troops. E n g ineer units are receiving overall w ater-proof oil suits, especially adapted for bridge construction, w h ere m en are often compelled to . stand in w a ter of shoulder depths to do th e ir work. The old-styie A m e rican boot rem ains. Though it has a rough exterior finish and looks like the dickens even w h en new, this boot, w h en properly oiled, is as near w a ter proof as any leather boot of any arm y, accordipg to the quarterm a ster. But for ex trem e ly m u d d y w e a ther each m an will have rubber thigh-boots w h ich is som e thing the old Boche would like to issue to Ms men, but he can’t issue because our blockade has killed off his rubber supply. DECORATIONS FOR MEN WHO SERVED ON THE BORDER. It Will Be a Service Badge With Rib bon, Authorized by Secretary of War. Officers and enlisted men who participated in the V era Cruz Expedition, the Punitive Expedition, and th e Mexican border patrol, under certain conditions w ill be eligible for a service badge w ith ribbon, authorized by the Secretary of W a r w ith the approval of the P r e s id e n t The following general order has been prepared: G .O .™ DEC. —, 1917, WAR DEPT. 1. By authority of the President, a serv ice badge w ith ribbon, to be known as the Meican Service Badge, will be issued to all officers and enlisted men who are now, or m ay hereafter be, in the m ilitary service of the United States and whose service has been under the following conditions: (a) In Mexico, afloat or ashore, as mem bers of the V era Cruz Expedition, between A p ril 24, 1914, and November 26, 1914. (b) In Mexico as mem bers of the Puni tive or other authorized expeditions between M arch 14, 1916, and February 7, 1917. (c) Those who were actually present and participated in an engagem ent against Mexicans between A p ril 12, 1911, and Feb ruary 7, 1917, in w h ich there were casualties on the side of the United States troops. (d) Those who w ere present as m em b ers of the Mexican Border Patrol, between A p ril 12, 1911, and F e b ruary 7, 1917, in proxim ity to an engagem ent between Mexicans which resulted in casualties among th e ir own com pany, troop, battery, or detachm ent. 2. The distribution of this badge will be governed by the provisions of A rticle V III, Compilation of General Orders, C irculars and B u lletins, W a r D epartm e n t, 1881-1915. No individual w ill be entitled to more than one Mexican Service Badge. 3. Persons not now in the Arm y of the U n ited States, who, if they had rem ained in the Service would be entitled to this badge, and whose separation from the Serv ice has been honorable, m ay apply to the KIND WORDS FROM A WORTHY CON TEMPORARY. We reprint, blushingly, the following little boost from the Spartanburg H erald. In passing we m ight rem a rk th a t th e H e rald deserves much credit for the capable and thorough m a n n e r in which it covers camp news. Mr. C a rpenter, who covers the camp for the H e rald, has won the friendship and respect of officers a n d men. H is camp stories have completeness and accuracy. H e re’s the boost: “The current issue o f th e G a s A t t a c k , the weekly paper published as the official organ of the 27th Division, is called the N u t Num ber, but it is anything else. It gives evidence from first page to last of the brightest and m o st intelligent work. Each issue of the paper is a better one than those preceding, and there is always a big demand for it. The circulation is now 20,000 copies a week. Some of the largest advertisers in th e coun try have contracted for space in its pages for future issues. “Maj. Gen. O’Ryan is so well pleased w ith the G' a s \A t t a c k th a t he has directed th a t copies be sent each week to the President, the Secretary of W ar, and to Miss M a rgaret Wilson, whose recent visit to camp was so much appreciated.”— S p a rtanburg H erald, January 29, 1918. FOUND, A WALRUS BAG. Lt. H. F. N im p h ius has found a black wal rus travelling bag at the Spartanburg sta tion. If it is yours you can get i t from him at the 102d A m m u n ition T rain. A d jutant General of the Army for authority to purchase and w ear th e Mexican Service Badge. By order of the Secretary of W a r: JOHN BIDDLE, Maj. Gen., Acting* C h ie f of Staff. A description of the new badge is found in Par. 160 1-4 to be added to Special Regu lations No. 42, reading as follows: 160*4® Mexican Service Badge, 1911-1917. (a) B a d g e —To be of bronze, 1 1-4 inches diam eter. On the obverse side is the Mexi can yucca plant in flower w ith m o u n tains in the background as suggestive of Mexico. Above the yucca plant are the words “Mexi can Service,” in the upper half and in the lower half “1911-1917,” arranged in a circle. The reverse side is the sam e as th a t on the Indian W ar badge. The badge is sus pended from a brass bar (3-16 inches long by 1 5-16 inches wide) by a silken ribbon (1 3-8 inches in length) of the sam e de scription and w idth as prescribed below: (b) Ribbon.—To be of silk and composed as follows: A green stripe (1-8 inch), a band of yellow (3-8 in c h ) , a band of blue (3-8 inch), a green stripe (1-8 inch). The whole to be 1 3-8 inches wide and 3-8 inch long.
