Show uk c PAUL 0 NEA ADAMS Service I Fismes I Once Almost Sacred Place Now Its It's Just Another Town 5 CHAPTER Its It's the Incongruity that's disturbing dis to to h hear ar or see se- sethe the name of ofa a city or village made enduringly famous lamous by an American battle en endeavor endeavor endeavor en- en deavor used in th the ordinary mat rant ter-of-r ter fact ter-of-fact ct routine of f everyday peacetime existence At Soissons one may take a traIn for Rheims at 7 05 p. p m. m due to arrive at A string of tiny coaches Is pulled up by a fI fizzing flying engine this engine this engine with Its stern facing its mission of toe night nir Its It's a local train a train a peddler and it shrieks along through the cool air of evening stopping at every ry Criss- Criss roads town Then hen comes a twinkling twinkling twinkling twin twin- kling of lIgh lights ts a grinding of brakes and the shout of the conduct ur Fismes Fismes Tout le Ie monde Think of It Fismes Fismes Everybody out The is correct Between Between Between Be Be- tween the tracks along the platform platform platform plat plat- form a gas light flickers and Its rays illumine a huge sign of of white letters on a blue background FJ FISMES Sl And yoi 1 have to wait walt here a half hour to catch an another ther local on onto onto onto to Rheims Soissons The TIle last stronghold of the Remans to be tie wres wrested away bythe bythe by bythe the ancient the the city from which the Germans were driven bythe bythe by bythe the First and Second divisions Inthe Inthe In Inthe the torrid days of or July 1918 Rheims With its shattered ca cathedral cathedral cathedral ca- ca thedral and Its Roman road running running run run- out Perthe les ning fling through and the scene of that gallant sti ug- ug gb gle for the possession of Blanc Mont And Fismes Fismes I Its It's pronounced Pronounced Fiz Fiz races it was pronounced by ny the American doughboys From From the heights of the Vesle the Germans crushed attempt after attempt to take the town in 1918 lOIS Machine lachIne guns rattled Men len died died men men flom om Wisconsin Michigan a an ansi nil l 1 Pennsyl Pennsyl- vania Then the town was vaa captured captured captured cap cap- and the Marne salient was v as reduced Fismes S. S A sacred word A name to bethought be he bethought thought of only In reverence end awe That's u why hy the Is disturbing To think th that t at Fismes you change cars ears on op the 70 train out of Soissons Lot for o Rheims Fismes Everybody out s 5 Somehow it Just Isn't right Tomorrow Tomorrow The The The Lost Battalion S ta- ta yv JT S 5 4 L' L 5 r S r. r i r i l ti I. I 11 4 s' s s'S S S 5 f 5 i- i S 54 I Modern Fismes holds plen plenty y of me memories mories but few familiar scenes for forthe forthe forthe the doughboys who captured it in 1918 after d French drives had failed |