Show West Must West Must Act at Once to Get Review Of Ninety first The Telegram presents here the first of a series of articles giving many Interesting details concerning the Ninety first Or Wild West division which contains Utah boys The articles are written by John F. F Ryan who was I sent to the camp of the Ninety first division by a group of newspapers including The Salt Lake Telegram I y By John F. F Ry Ryan 7 i J LA FERTE BERNARD France Feb Get G t your triumphal I arches ready The fighting men of the Wild West Vest division will b be home soon They're expecting a final parade before the home folKS folKS- probably not as a divisional unit however The Ninety first came from Belgium into this embarkation area the first of the year Originally they were scheduled to embark for the states on February 20 Then the sailing date was postponed till after Hafter March t. t Now the division is to sail some time in March I The division comes from such a large and and scattered territory eight different Vest Western ern states Alaska and that Hawaii a single home town review review re- re view seems unlikely to be held beld unless the folks on the coast demand It loud enough to be heard In Washington a big problem Johnston said It doesn't seem fair that the people of New York ChIcago and other big Eastern cities should see entire divIsion In and the people of the Pacific coast be denied that privilege Its ts t's a transportation problem that's up to to the wa wan department To give everybody a chance 1 ra see the boys the division would have to travel to say San Francisco Portland Seattle and Salt Lake City It looks to me as if the the- division will willbe be split up at New York units from the various states traveling to certaIn cities for reviews and musterIng out The same thing probably wm will happen to the replacements we added to the first Ninety just after the Argonne offensive ofte They were fourth Eighty division A men from Kentucky Indiana no Illinois land Ohio WALLOPED THE HUN I I came down here to fInd out what this vast crew of Western Vestern native sons cowboys s frontiersmen woodsmen woodsmen- and even Alaskans Mexicans IIa- IIa HawaIIans and orientals had been doing In the war Unfortunately little had been said about them In comparIson with the deeds of divIsions from the East In whose footsteps an army of correspondents followed Theres There's no m mystery about the accomplishments RC- RC of the Wild West Vest divi- divi sion They walloped the Hun lIun In two great campaIgns In the Argonne forest and andIn andin In Belgium They were In the St. St Mt- Mt hiel scrap too or rather they were all set to jump into It But they didn't have ha a fair chance there there-It was over so quickly The record ot of the Ninety first In the Argonne and In Belgium Is worthy ot of Immemorial place In the archives of Washington Ore Oregon on California Nevada Ne- Ne vada Utah Idaho Montana and Wyo- Wyo ming What the first Ninety did to help wip the war is Indelibly written In five officIal praise citations by the commanding com com- manding generals ot of an American army a French army an n American army corps and two French army corps TAKE MANY TOWNS The Ninety first cut Its allotted I space apace through the Argonne on a a. nonstop non non- stop schedule The men men from the wild and woolly took the towns of Ver Very lIle Ivoiry and Gesnes These were eight glorIous days daye from September 26 to October 4 In Belgium the with NInety the Thirty seventh the only American dIvIsions fighting with the Belgians and the French on King Alberts Albert's soil soil- captured and Aude- Aude Then the armistIce was with signed the Ninety first within striking distance dis dis- tance of the city ciLy ot of Brussels The Westerners were all set for a clean sweep of the Huns up there The war ended ende-d too soon for fOI but them not before they lad had crossed the hIstoric rIver ScheIdt Brave men from the PacIfic coast gave up their lives In the battles in n the Argonne and In Belgium But from what I could learn from Major General William H H. H Johnston divIsion commander commander com com- mander the the- losses were not noL out of proportion proportion pro pro- portion to other AmerIcan fighting units This is marvelous In the light Jt f the tho difficulties ot of the task the Ninety first had especially In the Argonne Here Is what as said In an official citation by Major General George H. H Cameron then commanding the Fifth American army corps The Ninety first divIsion Is entitled to rest especially as as during the past three days It has Incurred heavy casualties casualties cas- cas when circumstances would not permit eIther advance ad or withdrawal At a time when the divisions on its flanks were faltering and even falling back the Ninety first pushed ahead and steadfastly clung to every yard gaIned It was no pink tea no picnic there thereIn In the Argonne But when the Wild West Vest planted Its foot It just naturally stuck there PERSHING COMPLIMENTS HEROES The last big l review w by the Ninety first was held recently when General Pershing came here to award decorations Motor trucks took the entire en- en tire division to a great level fIeld fIfteen fifteen teen miles from here Although It was high ground there was plenty of mud with a mixture of snow The revIew began at 1 o'clock and continued till 4 30 It took just six forty minutes for the division marching In the French style of solid squares to pass the reviewing review review- In ing stand Previously however however time was consumed consumed con con- In the award of decorations the honor men then takIng places In the reviewing stand with General Per Per- shing The commander in chief made a detailed detailed de- de tailed Inspection ot of every unit come comI com com- I e the men on their military i I appearance i More than 2500 men of the Ninety Ninety- first were wearing wound chevrons Some wore two Indicating they had been wounded twice These were men who had been wounded in battle but were back on the job General Per Per- I stopped d and talked personally I II with each wounded man asking him where he was hurt and how he was I progressing I |