One of the members of D Company who was wounded in this spot was Matt Sullivan, an old-timer, and a kindly pleasant man who always took an interest in the younger lads, so that he was known as “Pop.” His two special protégés were Barney Friedman and George Johnson. When he was hit he was ordered to the rear, but he said, “I’ll not stir out o’ this till I see if the children are safe, God bless them.” He hobbled around in the gray dawn until he found the boys and then started for the rear.
Company I had a number of little battle pictures to give me besides those I have already written. One was of Barney Farley, who was busy all morning dressing wounds, and after he had stopped the flow of blood, before picking up his man, he would roll a cigarette, stick it in the wounded man’s mouth with a cheery “Here, take a pull out of this, avic. It’ll do ye good.”
Mike Lenihan, wounded while on the hill and told to go back, said, “No, I’ve waited so long to get at them I won’t lave this hill.” Another shot got him, and he was carried off.
Tom Shannon, being carried in, got off his stretcher and wanted to give his place to another man who, he said, was worse wounded than himself. An officer ordered him back on the stretcher and he was carried in, and since then I have heard he has died of his wounds.
William Cleary, wounded in the shoulder, refused to leave without orders, so they led him to where Captain Ryan was lying in a shell hole, himself wounded. The Captain looked up at him. “You’ve got a bad wound. No use around here. You’re young—got good color in your face—live long. Got good legs yet—run like hell.”
The Captain saw a German near the top of the hill who was using an automatic, and he wanted to try a shot at him, so he borrowed Pat Flynn’s rifle, fired and missed, the pain of the recoil disconcerting his aim. He tried again; then he said: “I’m going to pull the last bit of Irish in me together and get that fellow.” With the last shot in the clip he got him.
Two men from Company L had a laugh about Fortgang, who, one of them said, is the champion moocher of the Company, and can always get something to eat no matter how short the rations are. They were lying out on that shot-swept hill on the morning of the 28th when Fortgang produced from somewhere a can of solidified alcohol and three strips of bacon. He calmly proceeded to start his little fire, and fried his bacon, which he shared with the men on each side of him; and thus fortified, picked up his rifle once more and began to blaze away at the Germans.
While the topic is food I may add that the whole company is devoted to Mess Sergeant McDonald and Cook Connelly, whose kitchen was hit but who swore they would “stick to it while there’s a spoke left in it.” Hugh Fagan was one of the men who had to be driven off the hill after being badly wounded.
I saw several men who were hit through the helmet, the bullet entering in front and going out at the back without inflicting a wound. One of them was Edward McDonough, who seemed to consider it a great joke, though another man who had the same thing happen to him, a man whom I did not know, was walking in wide circles, unable to pursue a steady course unless he had a wall or a fence to guide on.
Captain Hurley of Company K got four or five wounds at once in leg, arm and back, but refused to allow himself to be carried, saying impatiently, “Now, don’t be bothering with me. I’d like to see myself on a litter while there’s men much worse off than myself still lying on the ground.”