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Over Here and Over There-Harry Zody · FBI in Peace and War

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Speaker 1: Introduction of over Here and over There. This is a
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Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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Speaker 1: Recording by Marianne over Here and over There. A Soldier's
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Speaker 1: Thoughts of Home and War by Private Harry Zodi Introductory.
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Speaker 1: In publishing this book, I have no intention whatsoever to
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Speaker 1: offer a work of great literary value. As such, it
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Speaker 1: would undoubtedly be a failure, because being of a non
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Speaker 1: English speaking race, and only having been in this country
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Speaker 1: a comparatively short time before going over to France, I
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Speaker 1: cannot claim a mastery of the English language. The incidents
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Speaker 1: described in this book are all based upon actual facts,
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Speaker 1: while the poetry was composed on the impulse of the moment.
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Speaker 1: It has merely been my intention to express the spirit
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Speaker 1: which led me to America and thence with Persia's expeditionary
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Speaker 1: forces to France. Not only American citizens of foreign birth,
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Speaker 1: but also those who had the good fortune of being
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Speaker 1: born and raised in this country, and who claim to
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Speaker 1: have reached the highest standard of Americanism, should find inspiration
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Speaker 1: and encouragement in these lines. If my humble efforts should
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Speaker 1: be the means of creating one more one hundred percent American.
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Speaker 1: I would feel myself amply repaid, and in addition, it
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Speaker 1: would give me the satisfaction of knowing that I have
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Speaker 1: once more been of service to my country and your country.
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Speaker 1: Private Harry Zodi end of introductory section one of over
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Speaker 1: here and over there by Private Harry Zodi. This LibriVox
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Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. Recording by Marianne. No
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Speaker 1: nation can hold its place in the world, or can
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Speaker 1: do any work really worth doing, unless it stands ready
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Speaker 1: to guard its rights with an armed hand. That orderly liberty,
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Speaker 1: which is both the foundation and the capstone of our civilization,
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Speaker 1: can be gained and kept only by men who are
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Speaker 1: willing to fight for an ideal, who hold high the
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Speaker 1: love of honor, love of faith, love of flag, and
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Speaker 1: love of country. Theodore Roosevelt REVERI to arms, ye sons
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Speaker 1: of freedom. You've rested far too long with just and
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Speaker 1: righteous power, go fight against the wrong. To arms, ye,
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Speaker 1: sons of freedom. Our banner is unfurled, our father's freedom nation.
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Speaker 1: But we must free the world. To arms, ye sons
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Speaker 1: of freedom, to fight the man of hate. They need
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Speaker 1: you gallant soldiers, before it is too late to arms.
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Speaker 1: Ye sons of freedom, Ye freemen, bold and brave, Uphold
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Speaker 1: sweet Freedom's banner wherever it may wave. Lafayette, we are here,
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Speaker 1: General John J. Pershing vivala France with profoundest admiration. I
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Speaker 1: salute thee gallant nation, war torn, unafraid, years of struggle
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Speaker 1: and privation, wanton Prussian occupation. France is truly great. Thousands
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Speaker 1: of your heroes dying, countless widows loudly crying, France will
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Speaker 1: never yield, calmly ruin and carnage, facing with a courage,
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Speaker 1: all embracing on each battlefield. Once the home of songs
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Speaker 1: and flowers, overrun by darkness's powers, trodden in the dust,
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Speaker 1: but they feel that tears and sorrow may bring gladness
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Speaker 1: on the morrow, and in God they trust. Dry your tears.
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Speaker 1: The Yanks are arming soon, our soldiers will be swarming
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Speaker 1: over to your aid. All our blood and all our
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Speaker 1: treasure yours to have in fullest measure till our debt
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Speaker 1: is paid. Where man walks daily in the path of death,
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Speaker 1: expecting to meet his makre at any moment, his thoughts
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Speaker 1: invariably turn for comfort to the Supreme being. The scoffer
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Speaker 1: and skeptics soon become a believer. Private harrizode, God, guide
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Speaker 1: our boys among the flowers, where shells explode and souls
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Speaker 1: corrode mid hellish powers, where death doth lure and men
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Speaker 1: endure mad pain. For hours, among the flowers, the hum
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Speaker 1: of bees has gone with peace, and none but showers
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Speaker 1: of lead and steel. God, we appeal to THEE for hours.
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Speaker 1: Our country in her intercourse with foreign nations. May she
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Speaker 1: always be in the right, But our country right or wrong?
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Speaker 1: Stephen decay her. To morrow, to morrow we attack. Be careful, bunkie,
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Speaker 1: this razor blade is awful. Dull, don't scrape so hard
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Speaker 1: yoll mar my beauty. I want to look my best,
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Speaker 1: old cull thanks brother, wish you luck. Maybe to morrow
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Speaker 1: I shall return the compliment. But anyway, I look more
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Speaker 1: like the fellow you've bunked with in that canvass tent.
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Speaker 1: To morrow we attack. I wonder, Pardner, what folks at
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Speaker 1: home are doing now? I see my mother busy with
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Speaker 1: her supper while Daddy milks the brindle cow. God bless
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Speaker 1: her dear old face. She did not falter when duty
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Speaker 1: called her son away. She looks just like this picture,
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Speaker 1: always cheerful, though trouble often came to stay. To morrow
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Speaker 1: we attack, Let's say a prayer like those we learned
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Speaker 1: on Mother's me. We've got to beat old Fritz, and
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Speaker 1: if he gets me, I'm proud to die for liberty.
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Speaker 1: End of section one, Section two of over here and
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Speaker 1: over There, by Private Harry Zodie. This LibriVox recording is
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Speaker 1: in the public domain. Recording by Mary Anne. The day
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Speaker 1: has come when America is privileged to spend her blood
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Speaker 1: and her might for the principles that gave her birth
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Speaker 1: and happiness and peace which she has treasured, God helping her,
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Speaker 1: She can do no other Woodrow Wilson, for our flag.
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Speaker 1: There's a great many things that I never did like,
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Speaker 1: such as drill in the rain, or go out on
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Speaker 1: a hike. And when on the march with that heavy,
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Speaker 1: full pack, I returned with a headache and pains in
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Speaker 1: my back. I went to the doctor and complained of
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Speaker 1: my pain. But it seemed that c sea pills are
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Speaker 1: cheaper than rain. Say, isn't it funny what a man
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Speaker 1: must go through for the flag? He loves the red,
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Speaker 1: white and blue. I was fat when I signed my
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Speaker 1: full name on the roll. While right now it's a
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Speaker 1: fact I'm as thin as a pole. But that's no wonder,
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Speaker 1: for our comforts were few, and for weeks I ate
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Speaker 1: nothing but thin army stew. Believe me, you never will
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Speaker 1: know what it means till you try a full diet
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Speaker 1: of hardtack and beans. Now, isn't it funny what a
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Speaker 1: man can go through for the flag that he loves,
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Speaker 1: the Red, white and blue. Came the day when they
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Speaker 1: sent us to warward in France. The boat rocked like fury,
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Speaker 1: and we took a big chance. For many an hour
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Speaker 1: we stood watching on deck, with a life belt to
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Speaker 1: hug and stick close to our neck. And yet we
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Speaker 1: were happy and quite free from all care in spite
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Speaker 1: of this danger and the submarine scare. Say, isn't it
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Speaker 1: funny what a man can go through for the flag
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Speaker 1: that he loves, the Red, white and blue. Upon our
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Speaker 1: arrival in the parlevou Land, our soldier boys sure had
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Speaker 1: a job on their hand, not a one in the bunch.
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Speaker 1: This queer lingo could speak. It sounded to them just
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Speaker 1: like Latin or Greek. But they studied hard for the
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Speaker 1: sake of America, and sure enough, they could soon say, oh,
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Speaker 1: la la, gosh, isn't it funny what a man learns
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Speaker 1: to do for the flag that he loves? The red,
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Speaker 1: white and blue. Somewhere in Piccardi, in some portion of trench,
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Speaker 1: you can now see our boys side by side with
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Speaker 1: the French. The French are delighted. Our tobacco is fine,
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Speaker 1: and our boys in exchange get a shot of their wine. Inn.
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Speaker 1: Though things may look gloomy just once in a while,
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Speaker 1: our principle is let's win with a smile, and the
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Speaker 1: whole world will see what a Yankee can do for
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Speaker 1: the flag that he loves. The red, white and blue
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Speaker 1: khaki clad boys over here and over there. Remember, you
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Speaker 1: are doing this for the liberty of the whole world.
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Speaker 1: The man with a smile wins. Private Harry Zode my
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Speaker 1: new profession. I'm no professional, I know, yet I do
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Speaker 1: not mind herd drilling at first. I may be rather
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Speaker 1: slow to learn the job of killing. At night, my
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Speaker 1: feet feel just like lead. My legs are sore and shaking.
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Speaker 1: I think of mother's nice soft bed, for which my
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Speaker 1: heart is aching. But not a whimper from this lad.
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Speaker 1: Though soldier life is bitter. I mean to show the
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Speaker 1: hun by gad a Yankee is no quitter. The stoutest
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Speaker 1: heart wins in the end. Make all our hardships lighter.
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Speaker 1: Where gentleness and courage blend, you'll find the bravest fighter. Belgium,
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Speaker 1: the savior of civilization, small in size, but immeasurably great
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Speaker 1: in courage, and honor shall be restored. Private Harry Zodie
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Speaker 1: the greatest heroes of them all. In praising heroes of
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Speaker 1: this war, we need a magic liar, and searching records
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Speaker 1: wide and far find plenty to admire. But heroism, most
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Speaker 1: sublime jown by our Belgian brothers, is one example of
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Speaker 1: all time. This one excels all others. When little Belgium
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Speaker 1: had a chance to open wide her border, she still
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Speaker 1: remained the friend of France, chose chaos and disorder. This
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Speaker 1: glorious country had to fight a far superior power. Poor
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Speaker 1: Belgium well knew Prussian might in that momentous hour. No
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Speaker 1: one can fathom Belgium's fate, her pitiful condition, with Hunnish
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Speaker 1: legions at her gait, demanding her submission, and yet despite
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Speaker 1: her shameful rape, she made this resolution. The hun cannot
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Speaker 1: shall not escape. A final retribution. Do not despair a
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Speaker 1: friend of ours. Thou shalt perish, never remember, in life's
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Speaker 1: darkest hours, our help, our love forever. End of Section two,
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Speaker 1: Section three of over Here and over There, by Private
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Speaker 1: Harry Zodie. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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Speaker 1: Recording by Marianne. With malice toward none, with charity for all,
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Speaker 1: with firmness for the right. As God gives us to
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Speaker 1: see the right, let us drive on to finish the work.
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Speaker 1: We are in, Abraham Lincoln. Our share right in the
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Speaker 1: front line trenches, bereft of love and care. Our Khaki
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Speaker 1: lads are fighting, and each one does his share. They
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Speaker 1: bear their cross with patience, a smile upon their face.
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Speaker 1: They'd rather face death's horrors than foreign yoke's disgrace while
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Speaker 1: dreaming of God's country. They're fighting right in hell, and
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Speaker 1: yet when someone asks them, they say, we're feeling well.
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Speaker 1: No matter where you go to all along the battle line,
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Speaker 1: you hear that cheerful story, We're feeling mighty fine. They've
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Speaker 1: had their share of shrapnel, of gas and liquid fire,
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Speaker 1: yet they possessed that spirit. You can't help but admire
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Speaker 1: to Prussian will and power. No yank will ever bend,
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Speaker 1: and though the task is strenuous, they'll stick unto the end.
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Speaker 1: We're bound to lick the Kaiser as long as we
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Speaker 1: are true to our immortal banner, the red and white
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Speaker 1: and blue. It is not war that calls America into
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Speaker 1: the arena of the world. It is peace. It is
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Speaker 1: not conquest, but co operation. Her interest lies in civilization,
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Speaker 1: not chaos. Franklin McVeigh, we're in it. We stand for freedom, justice,
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Speaker 1: right with liberty, our shining light opposed to autocratic might.
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Speaker 1: Forever to lay for good this Prussian pest, which put
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Speaker 1: our honor to the test, we surely have to give
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Speaker 1: our best endeavor. We watched the conflict far away. Impartially
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Speaker 1: we held at bay those meddlers, anxious for the fray,
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Speaker 1: kept steady. But when the frightful hun began to break
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Speaker 1: all law of God and man, we had to change
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Speaker 1: our peaceful plan. Got ready a savage brutal to the core,
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Speaker 1: a constant menace to our shore. Is not the friend
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Speaker 1: he was before were in it. God made us champion
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Speaker 1: of the free, and naught can alter Fate's decree. A
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Speaker 1: final allied victory will win it. Let us dare to
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Speaker 1: do our duty as we understand it. Abraham Lincoln, the
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Speaker 1: call of battle? Say, don't you hear that urgent call
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Speaker 1: from far across the sea? Does it stir your Yankee blood?
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Speaker 1: Your love for liberty? Do you not feel within your
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Speaker 1: heart a wish strong and divine? Do you not want
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Speaker 1: to be among the boys that fall in line? Tis
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Speaker 1: not enough to sympathize with all the Yanks that give
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Speaker 1: their precious blood in order that democracy may live. Let
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Speaker 1: stand behind our president with body, heart and soul. Let's
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Speaker 1: go right to it and not quit till we have
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Speaker 1: reached our goal. Let's rally round the flag we love
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Speaker 1: our dear red, white and blue. Be worthy of the
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Speaker 1: name Yanks, and show what Yanks can do. Say when
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Speaker 1: you see that banner float, do you not hold your
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Speaker 1: breath and fight as only Yanks can fight? And die
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Speaker 1: a Yankee's death. The thought of our loved ones at
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Speaker 1: home does not weaken us, but creates a grim determination
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Speaker 1: to do or die. Private Harry Zodie, somewhere in France,
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Speaker 1: somewhere in France, I think of you, my thoughts in
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Speaker 1: boundless flight, speed over land and briny deep to meet
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Speaker 1: my heart's delight. Somewhere in France. I dream of you,
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Speaker 1: though winter's icy blast chills to the bone and makes
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Speaker 1: one glad when dawn arrives at last. Somewhere in France.
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Speaker 1: I write to you. My pen cannot describe all that
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Speaker 1: I feel, for censors are a cold and heartless tribe.
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Speaker 1: Somewhere in France. Your soldier boy will give the bosh
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Speaker 1: his due for freedom, justice, liberty, and dearest girl, for you.
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Speaker 1: End of section three, Section four of over here and
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Speaker 1: over There, by Private Harry Zodie. This LibriVox recording is
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Speaker 1: in the public domain. Recording by Marianne. It is necessary
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Speaker 1: that the nation should have physical no less than moral courage,
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Speaker 1: the capacity to do and dare and die at need,
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Speaker 1: and that grim and steadfast resolution which alone will carry
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Speaker 1: a great people through a great danger. Theodore Roosevelt, lest
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Speaker 1: we forget, I'm glad to say that I have found
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Speaker 1: a friend with whom I'm warward bound. But don't forget,
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Speaker 1: my soldier friend. The wondrous cause for which we stand
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Speaker 1: its freedom, justice, liberty, the three and one democracy. Come.
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Speaker 1: Let's destroy the German plot with bayonet and with rifle shot.
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Speaker 1: The stars and stripes may never stop till they are
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Speaker 1: carried or the top. Before we go and fight, Let's
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Speaker 1: pray this flag. No Yank will air betray. As long
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Speaker 1: as we are brave and strong. The road to victory
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Speaker 1: can't be long. As long as real Yanks we are,
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Speaker 1: the road to or lynn can't be far. So let's
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Speaker 1: go over hand in hand to fight or die in
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Speaker 1: no man's land. And when you're on the firing line,
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Speaker 1: may God's hand guide you, friend of mine. Two principles
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Speaker 1: have stood face to face from the beginning of time,
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Speaker 1: and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the
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Speaker 1: common right of humanity. The other is the divine right
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Speaker 1: of kings. Abraham Lincoln. They shall not pass. In ancient times,
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Speaker 1: as we all know, the Roman legions cross the Rhine,
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Speaker 1: they fought the savage Teuton foe laid waste his sacred
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Speaker 1: forest shrine. But Caesar's genius could not gain a victory
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Speaker 1: over Gallic pride, and Roman valor tried in vain to
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Speaker 1: conquer Gaul in mighty stride. They shall not pass while
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Speaker 1: life remains. Brave men of Gaul die without fear. Our
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Speaker 1: blood the plains and mountains stains, But liberty to us
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Speaker 1: is dear near Twice a thousand years have gone, and
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Speaker 1: now the Prussians hoardes advance, sweep all before them. France alone,
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Speaker 1: firm as a rock, meets lance with lance. They shall
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Speaker 1: not pass, Though millions die. Like Caesar, this blasphemous lord
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Speaker 1: will ever hear our battle cry, till force to sheathe
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Speaker 1: his bloody sword. We're with you, sister, till we free
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Speaker 1: the world from despots large and small, alons and font
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Speaker 1: de la patrie. For Caesar shall not conquer Gaul. This
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Speaker 1: is my ambition for America that wherever an American citizen
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Speaker 1: may go upon the earth, he will be honored and
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Speaker 1: loved because he represents a nation that has nothing but
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Speaker 1: justice and kindness for all races of men. Charles Edward Jefferson.
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Speaker 1: Think this over. Uncle Sam has joined the nations fighting
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Speaker 1: for democracy, and he did so with one purpose to
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Speaker 1: throw down autocracy. Think where are your pride and honor,
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Speaker 1: citizens of the USA. We are here to do our
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Speaker 1: duty in the right and only way. There's no sign stop,
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Speaker 1: look and listen. Everyone has but one choice for his
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Speaker 1: own sake, and old glories answer to its sacred voice.
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Speaker 1: Even though you're fond of reading, let the books lie
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Speaker 1: on the shelf. Don't waste time in reading history. Go
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Speaker 1: make history yourself. More than once in common prayer, we
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Speaker 1: devoutly bowed our heads. Since we can't get peace by praying,
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Speaker 1: we shall fight for it. My lads, just remember poor
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Speaker 1: old Belgium. Think of brave and noble France. Britain stoutly
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Speaker 1: bears her burden. Now it's ours to take a chance.
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Speaker 1: God give us men a time like this demands strong minds,
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Speaker 1: great hearts, true faith, and ready hands. Josiah Gilbert Holland.
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Speaker 1: Our Army's eye hark that sound up in the sky
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Speaker 1: like machine gun fire. Monster birds are darting by, climbing
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Speaker 1: swiftly higher. See their sun tipped shining wings, casting a
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Speaker 1: fleeting shadow, droningly. The motor sings over broken meadow. Watch
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Speaker 1: the pilot, clad in gray, keen eyed eastward, ever guide
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Speaker 1: his giant bird of prey, steady hand on lever day
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Speaker 1: and night. Our Army's eye braves a rain of fire.
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Speaker 1: May the infinite on high guard each daring flier. End
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Speaker 1: of section four, Section five of over here and over
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Speaker 1: there by Private Harry Zodie. This LibriVox recording is in
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Speaker 1: the public Domain recording by Marie Anne A hot night.
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Speaker 1: For the past few days, our sector had been exceptionally quiet,
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Speaker 1: save for an occasional reciprocal shelling. We were very proud
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Speaker 1: to be the first Americans to be engaged in actual
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Speaker 1: warfare with the Germans. We had become accustomed to our
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Speaker 1: new quarters, which were really far from comfortable, and the
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Speaker 1: sound of shells whistling through the air was no longer novelty,
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Speaker 1: but had become part of our routine. As it were,
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Speaker 1: we were now experts in the art of dodging those
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Speaker 1: shells bearing our name and address, and it was great
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Speaker 1: fun to watch those whiz bangs explode near by, throwing
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Speaker 1: up geysers of mud and rocks. Sometimes I could not
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Speaker 1: help comparing the front with a vaudeville show. The different
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Speaker 1: acts followed each other promptly. One of the most interesting
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Speaker 1: things for us to watch was the flight of aeroplanes,
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Speaker 1: allied as well as German reconnoitering and trying to locate
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Speaker 1: each other's artillery positions. As soon as one of these
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Speaker 1: planes appeared over the enemy's lines, it was invariably re
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Speaker 1: with a hot fire, which compelled it either to turn
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Speaker 1: back or to ascend at great speed to such an
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Speaker 1: altitude that the reconnoitering would be of practically no value.
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Speaker 1: It was a clear day, and though spring was yet
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Speaker 1: far away, the sky was spotlessly blue, and the sun
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Speaker 1: was powerful enough to make us forget the severe cold
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Speaker 1: which had chilled our bones for many weeks. Suddenly, during
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Speaker 1: the early morning hours, we heard the distinct drone of
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Speaker 1: motors steadily increasing in sound. We rushed out of our dugouts,
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Speaker 1: and there unfolded itself away up in the sky. One
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Speaker 1: of those, by no means unusual yet always intensely interesting spectacles.
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Speaker 1: Five German biplanes approached our lines at an altitude of
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Speaker 1: approximately six thousand feet without being disturbed in the least
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Speaker 1: by our anti aircraft batteries, and proceeded to circle above
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Speaker 1: our lines. They evidently did not have the courage to
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Speaker 1: come lower or to penetrate our lines any further than
22:57
Speaker 1: our front line trenches, keeping up this game for at
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Speaker 1: least fifteen minutes, and evidently thinking that our artillery considered
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Speaker 1: it useless to waste shells on them, two of the
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Speaker 1: planes suddenly made a nose dive, descending to within a
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Speaker 1: five hundred feet level and suddenly poured a rain of
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Speaker 1: machine gun bullets into our front tranches. In less than
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Speaker 1: no time, all of our men who were not assigned
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Speaker 1: to any particular outside duty disappeared into the dugouts. The
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Speaker 1: Hunts had copied this trick of the French aviators, who
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Speaker 1: often went low over the German lines and created havoc
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Speaker 1: with their machine guns. Except for a few rifle bullets
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Speaker 1: fired by a sentry, these two planes made their escape
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Speaker 1: without being disturbed. Then came the surprise. The overconfident Huns
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Speaker 1: had failed to watch closely, and before they were aware
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Speaker 1: of it, three French machines suddenly appeared on the scene
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Speaker 1: and engaged three of the German planes, showering bullets upon them,
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Speaker 1: bringing one crashing to the earth, where a few well
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Speaker 1: placed shells from our guns completed the work of destruction.
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Speaker 1: One more German plane was seen to drop, but it
23:58
Speaker 1: succeeded in reaching the German lines. The other three made
24:02
Speaker 1: their escape, followed by a fierce anti aircraft fire. Ward
24:07
Speaker 1: reached us from headquarters to be prepared for an attack.
24:10
Speaker 1: Shortly after noon. The enemy artillery began to become very
24:13
Speaker 1: active and shells of all calibers fell in front of
24:16
Speaker 1: our trenches, some of them into our trenches, and the
24:20
Speaker 1: men stationed in the rear also got their share. The
24:23
Speaker 1: gas alarm was sounded over the entire sector, as many
24:26
Speaker 1: of the projectiles were filled with poisoned gas. For more
24:30
Speaker 1: than two hours, we were capt in suspense, unable to
24:32
Speaker 1: doff our gas masks for a single minute. Finally, the
24:36
Speaker 1: bombardment ceased and silence reigned once more. Only a few
24:41
Speaker 1: hundred yards behind us were the remains of what had
24:43
Speaker 1: once been a flourishing French village near the Lorraine border. Occasionally,
24:48
Speaker 1: the silence was broken by the sad howl of a dog, which,
24:51
Speaker 1: through all these weary months and years, had not yet
24:53
Speaker 1: given up the search for his master, who was either
24:56
Speaker 1: dead or somewhere in the trenches fighting for liberty. Soon
25:01
Speaker 1: darkness began to spread its ghostly wings over the picturesque landscape.
25:05
Speaker 1: A gray hill within the German lines in front of
25:08
Speaker 1: us began to melt away in the dusk, and finally
25:11
Speaker 1: disappeared altogether from our sight. With the appearance of the
25:15
Speaker 1: first star, life in our lines seemed to spring up.
25:19
Speaker 1: Patrols silently moved through the communicating trenches. Sentries took their posts.
25:24
Speaker 1: Our machine guns were brought into position, and our men
25:27
Speaker 1: received instructions from our officers as to what to do
25:30
Speaker 1: in case of danger. The nerve racking tension was almost
25:35
Speaker 1: unbearable waiting for the unknown and the unseen. Suddenly the
25:39
Speaker 1: darkness was pierced by considerable number of sky rockets of
25:42
Speaker 1: various colors sent up by the Germans, immediately followed by
25:46
Speaker 1: some of our powerful star shells, which threw a brilliant
25:49
Speaker 1: light over no man's land. At the very same moment,
25:53
Speaker 1: a chorus of wild inhuman voices was heard, intermingled with
25:56
Speaker 1: the explosion of hand grenades and the firing of rifles
25:59
Speaker 1: and pistols. From my observation post, I had a clear
26:04
Speaker 1: view of the scene. One of our patrols, composed of
26:07
Speaker 1: ten men, which had been inspecting the barbed wire entanglements
26:10
Speaker 1: in front of our position, suddenly found itself surrounded by
26:13
Speaker 1: a detachment of approximately sixty Germans. Our men bravely resisted,
26:18
Speaker 1: though greatly outnumbered, and refused to surrender. By the light
26:22
Speaker 1: of the increasing number of rockets, I was able to
26:25
Speaker 1: observe how some of the Bosches actually threw up their
26:27
Speaker 1: hands shouting camarade camarade, thus trying to simulate surrender. Our men, however,
26:34
Speaker 1: were wise to this trick, which had often been tried before.
26:37
Speaker 1: They preferred death to capture. One of our men succeeded
26:41
Speaker 1: in breaking through the encircling ring of enemies and reached
26:43
Speaker 1: our post, shouting that they were all dead. Thereupon, our
26:47
Speaker 1: machine guns sent a barrage across no man's land, and
26:51
Speaker 1: those of the Germans who had not been killed or
26:53
Speaker 1: severely wounded retired at great speed. Less than five minutes
26:57
Speaker 1: after this encounter took place, about twenty of us volunteered
27:00
Speaker 1: to go and recover the wounded. After making three trips
27:03
Speaker 1: under a hail of German machine gun fire, we succeeded
27:06
Speaker 1: in bringing in twenty three German dead, eight severely wounded,
27:10
Speaker 1: whereas six of our men had been killed, two wounded,
27:13
Speaker 1: and one was missing. Here was one more proof that
27:16
Speaker 1: our men always give a good account of themselves. Another
27:20
Speaker 1: period of silence. It was close to midnight when the
27:23
Speaker 1: sky suddenly turned blood red, then a series of loud explosions.
27:28
Speaker 1: At first I could not make out what this might be.
27:30
Speaker 1: It was such an impressive scene that, though it lasted
27:34
Speaker 1: but a few seconds, I stood absolutely motionless. However, I
27:38
Speaker 1: immediately realized the responsibilities connected with my observation post hell
27:43
Speaker 1: seemed to have broken loose, and I felt like one
27:46
Speaker 1: of the damned in Dante's Inferno. One of the most
27:50
Speaker 1: terrific bombardments I had ever been in ensued. When I
27:54
Speaker 1: was able to think the situation over, I realized that
27:57
Speaker 1: the Germans were sending over enormous quantities of poison gas cylinders,
28:00
Speaker 1: which were being fired from trench mortars in their front
28:03
Speaker 1: line trenches. I estimated the speed of the wind at
28:06
Speaker 1: between fifteen and twenty miles an hour. I tried and
28:10
Speaker 1: succeeded in keeping my nerves under control and took the
28:13
Speaker 1: field telephone in order to turn in the alarm for
28:15
Speaker 1: the entire sector and the rear. I knew that I
28:19
Speaker 1: would not be able to use the telephone with my
28:20
Speaker 1: gas mask adjusted, and yet I realized that gas waves
28:24
Speaker 1: would reach my post in a few seconds. There was
28:27
Speaker 1: no time to hesitate through some unforeseen circumstance. It took
28:31
Speaker 1: some time to get the right connection, but I succeeded
28:34
Speaker 1: in sending the gasoler through our lines. Meanwhile, I got
28:38
Speaker 1: several whiffs of the gas which caused a choking feeling
28:41
Speaker 1: in my throat. My eyes began to get heavy, and
28:44
Speaker 1: I had a feeling as if my head was made
28:45
Speaker 1: of lead. Yet I had to stick to my post.
28:49
Speaker 1: After hanging up the receiver, I tried to put on
28:52
Speaker 1: my gas mask for my own protection, but could not
28:54
Speaker 1: keep it on owing to the strangling sensation in my throat.
28:59
Speaker 1: With dust carry me in the face, I leaned my
29:01
Speaker 1: head in my hands amid the flames and smoke rising
29:05
Speaker 1: before me. I saw a vision of home of love,
29:09
Speaker 1: like a real My past life seemed to unroll before
29:11
Speaker 1: my eyes. With trembling hand, I fumble for the picture
29:15
Speaker 1: of the girl I left behind, and with a last
29:18
Speaker 1: fond glance upon those beloved features, I pressed my lips
29:21
Speaker 1: upon them. My eyes grew dim and then darkness and oblivion.
29:28
Speaker 1: Private Harry Zodi end of section five, Section six of
29:40
Speaker 1: over here and over There by Private Harry Zodi. This
29:44
Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by Marianne.
29:48
Speaker 1: It is our firm belief that out of this awful conflict,
29:51
Speaker 1: true civilization will rise, never to die again. Private Harry Zodi,
29:58
Speaker 1: Jerusalem read turbaned Turks are beaten down, savage hordes no
30:05
Speaker 1: longer frown on our holy city. Christians bathed in blood
30:09
Speaker 1: and tears. Muslim yoke for years and years, ah they
30:13
Speaker 1: knew no pity. Palestine rejoicingly greets a new fraternity. Hail
30:18
Speaker 1: our Christian brothers, and the gleaming cross is seen where
30:22
Speaker 1: the gentle Nazarene gave his life for others. Jew and Gentile,
30:27
Speaker 1: filled with pride, pray together side by side. Friends that
30:32
Speaker 1: naught can sever albion will not tolerate to return to
30:36
Speaker 1: Muslim fate hallowed ground, forever, fear God and take your
30:42
Speaker 1: own part. Theodore Roosevelt Joe Bile. Way down in old Kentucky,
30:51
Speaker 1: there lived a boy, Joe Bile, blessed with the sunshine nature.
30:55
Speaker 1: He always has a smile. He loved his mother dearly,
30:58
Speaker 1: stayed with her all the while. Yet when old Glory
31:01
Speaker 1: called him, he answered with a smile. He drilled in
31:04
Speaker 1: rain or sunshine in perfect soldier style. He strictly did
31:08
Speaker 1: his duty and did it with a smile. There was
31:11
Speaker 1: no better soldier in any rank or file. He fought
31:15
Speaker 1: with lion's courage, but never lost his smile. On France's
31:19
Speaker 1: blood stained meadows they buried poor Joe byle He met
31:24
Speaker 1: his holy maker and met him with a smile. It
31:30
Speaker 1: is just and equitable to stand by Russia if Russia
31:33
Speaker 1: wants us to Lloyd George. Russia, once our ally, now forgotten,
31:43
Speaker 1: sold by traitors, ill begotten anarchy their king. And we
31:48
Speaker 1: see the giant reeling to the Prussian bully, kneeling just
31:52
Speaker 1: a helpless thing. Nearly half of Russia rested by the
31:56
Speaker 1: hun and though detested rules with iron hand gone religion,
32:02
Speaker 1: law and order, Bolshevism, hatred, murder fill this fertile land.
32:09
Speaker 1: But a stable constitution shall emerge from revolution dawn of liberty.
32:14
Speaker 1: While with blood and arson reeking Russian patriots are seeking
32:18
Speaker 1: true democracy. So let's give her our assistance. Lead the
32:22
Speaker 1: way to new resistance to Germanic greed. Teaching lessons we
32:27
Speaker 1: all cherish. Holy Russia will not perish. Let's be friends
32:31
Speaker 1: in need. God grants liberty only to those who love
32:38
Speaker 1: it and are always ready to guard and defend it.
32:42
Speaker 1: Daniel Webster Memories. I am sitting here, absorbed in thoughts
32:49
Speaker 1: of happy days gone by, thoughts of a friend, a
32:53
Speaker 1: real friend, My God. It makes me cry to think
32:56
Speaker 1: it should have been thy will to tear us too apart.
33:00
Speaker 1: Yet though his body may be dear, his soul lives
33:02
Speaker 1: in my heart. We went to school together, together, worked
33:07
Speaker 1: and played. We wrote to church on Sunday, and side
33:10
Speaker 1: by side we prayed of what I had. I gave
33:13
Speaker 1: him whate'er he had was mine. Our friendship was a
33:16
Speaker 1: treasure so genuine and divine. The war broke out. Like brothers,
33:22
Speaker 1: we hastened to enlist, for when your country's calling, no
33:25
Speaker 1: good man can resist. Together we went over. It was
33:29
Speaker 1: a glorious sight. We had just one desire to conquer.
33:33
Speaker 1: Come what might still in my heart. I hear him shout, come,
33:38
Speaker 1: let's lick the hun. Then suddenly he looked at me.
33:42
Speaker 1: He staggered, dropped his gun, and in the midst of battle,
33:46
Speaker 1: I knelt beside my friend and glanced into his breaking eyes,
33:50
Speaker 1: which told the bitter end. His last words were, come,
33:55
Speaker 1: never mind, just leave me where I am and tell
33:58
Speaker 1: the folks across the sea. I died for Uncle Sam.
34:03
Speaker 1: We could not even bury him. But in a lonesome
34:05
Speaker 1: trench there lies a man who gave his life for
34:08
Speaker 1: freedom of the French. I left him there, My soldier
34:12
Speaker 1: friend in his eternal rest, and I went back to
34:16
Speaker 1: no man's land and stood the fire test. The world
34:20
Speaker 1: seems dark and dreary since this brave soldier went America.
34:25
Speaker 1: Both you and I have lost a real friend. End
34:31
Speaker 1: of section six, Section seven of Over Here and over
34:40
Speaker 1: There by Private Harry Zode. This LibriVox recording is in
34:44
Speaker 1: the public domain. Recording by Marianne. Poison gas exemplifies the
34:50
Speaker 1: German conception of culture. Private Harry Zode gas greenish vapors,
35:00
Speaker 1: dense and low, killing grass and flowers right and left.
35:04
Speaker 1: Where'er you go? Poison gas for hours Satan's own I
35:08
Speaker 1: know your kind. Fumes from hell come floating through the
35:12
Speaker 1: night to make men blind while the hun is gloating
35:16
Speaker 1: quick the mask perhaps too late. Ere the poison touches
35:20
Speaker 1: living breath and seals your fate with its hellish clutches.
35:25
Speaker 1: Hands at throat, you try to see all your senses, reeling, choking,
35:30
Speaker 1: gasping to be free from this awful feeling. Consciousness has
35:34
Speaker 1: gone at last, but the pain of waking all the
35:37
Speaker 1: agonies of the past tenfold in the making. I am
35:42
Speaker 1: thankful that I live here to tell the story. God
35:46
Speaker 1: will lend me strength to give blows for dear old glory.
35:52
Speaker 1: To consider sacrifice for your country a privilege is the
35:56
Speaker 1: true test of patriotism. Private Harry Zodie, my Pals, I
36:04
Speaker 1: have always been a wanderer, and I've led an aimless life.
36:07
Speaker 1: I felt lonesome and forgotten, knowing neither love nor strife.
36:12
Speaker 1: But God, in his endless mercy, gave to me at
36:14
Speaker 1: last a pal, and the world held none but sunshine
36:18
Speaker 1: ever since I met my gal. Then I felt no
36:22
Speaker 1: longer lonesome. I thought love life's greatest call, and thanked
36:26
Speaker 1: my Lord in heaven. I was happy after all. Came
36:30
Speaker 1: the day when my old glory was endangered by the
36:33
Speaker 1: hun and I rallied round the colors with another pal.
36:36
Speaker 1: My gun for that grand and glorious banner stands for
36:40
Speaker 1: all that's good and right. As I heard its sweet
36:43
Speaker 1: voice whisper, if you love me, go and fight far
36:47
Speaker 1: away on France's meadows, I gave answer to that call,
36:51
Speaker 1: and I thanked my Lord in heaven. I was happy
36:54
Speaker 1: after all. Let our object be our country, our whole country,
37:02
Speaker 1: and nothing but our country. Daniel Webster, just plain Americans
37:10
Speaker 1: honor in plenty and unstinted praise for our soldier heroes
37:15
Speaker 1: leaves me in a maze, sets me a thinking, what's
37:18
Speaker 1: all this about? Why all this fuss and pray? Why
37:21
Speaker 1: do you shout? We do our duty, of course, and
37:25
Speaker 1: what's more, thousands of others have done it before. Sons
37:29
Speaker 1: of democracy, ready to save our dear America, home of
37:32
Speaker 1: the brave. Millions of fighting men answer the call. Gladly
37:36
Speaker 1: they go, and no heroes at all dying if need
37:40
Speaker 1: be for we cannot give any too much to let
37:42
Speaker 1: liberty live. This is my pride to be one of
37:46
Speaker 1: the men privileged to put Kaiser Bill in the pen.
37:50
Speaker 1: Sure the boys laugh when I tell him about your
37:53
Speaker 1: hero talk and the way people shout. A true patriot
37:59
Speaker 1: knows when the love of country should be stronger than
38:02
Speaker 1: the love he bears his mother. A true mother willingly
38:05
Speaker 1: offers her son on the altar of freedom, Private Harry
38:08
Speaker 1: Zodie Mother, Oh God, how much I love her, just
38:16
Speaker 1: like the stars above her. Her eyes shine with sparkling light.
38:20
Speaker 1: Her well shaped hands are blending white. She is more
38:24
Speaker 1: a vision than a sight, just like the stars above her.
38:28
Speaker 1: Oh God, how much I love her, Just like the
38:31
Speaker 1: skies above her. Her eyes are wonderfully blue, and once
38:35
Speaker 1: those eyes have looked at you, you love them always
38:37
Speaker 1: and anew, just like the skies above her, Oh God,
38:42
Speaker 1: how much I love her, Just like the sun above her,
38:45
Speaker 1: Her hair in glorious bright array, without the slightest touch
38:48
Speaker 1: of gray, as lovely as the month of May, just
38:52
Speaker 1: like the sun above her, Oh God, how much I
38:55
Speaker 1: love her. There's nothing else above her could match her
38:59
Speaker 1: cheeks so often read from which the youth has never fled.
39:03
Speaker 1: They prove the happy life she led with faithful sons
39:07
Speaker 1: to love her. Her cheeks, her hands, her eyes so
39:11
Speaker 1: true sure match the red, white and blue that flag
39:15
Speaker 1: above all others. The stars and stripes will never cease
39:19
Speaker 1: to have my love in war and peace. The rest
39:22
Speaker 1: of it is Mother's and of section seven, Section eight
39:33
Speaker 1: of over here and over there by Private Harry Zodie.
39:37
Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Marianne.
39:43
Speaker 1: The right is more precious than peace, and we shall
39:46
Speaker 1: fight for the things which we have always carried nearest
39:49
Speaker 1: our hearts, Woodrow Wilson, our devil hound marines. You folks
39:57
Speaker 1: may praise our army no better in all France The
40:01
Speaker 1: infantry is dandy. They always take a chance. Our gunners
40:05
Speaker 1: know their business of handling seventy fives. When they let loose,
40:08
Speaker 1: the huns all hide, are scared of their lives. But
40:12
Speaker 1: don't forget those fighters, our soldiers of the sea. That
40:15
Speaker 1: chosen corps is first to fight. They face a scrap
40:18
Speaker 1: with glee, a hungry bunch. They never miss their meal
40:22
Speaker 1: of pork and beans. They're few, but full of ginger.
40:25
Speaker 1: Are devil hound marines. Clear out the woods was the
40:29
Speaker 1: command with gun and bayonet. The Bosh dislikes those soldiers.
40:33
Speaker 1: They gave them hell you bet, and he hollered Cormorande.
40:38
Speaker 1: We all know what that means. There is no use
40:41
Speaker 1: to fight against American marines. Perhaps we do not give
40:47
Speaker 1: enough credit to the steadfast courage of our women who
40:50
Speaker 1: bear the burden of watchful and alas ofttimes mournful waiting.
40:55
Speaker 1: Private Harry Zodie her picture in training camp, in front
41:02
Speaker 1: line trenches, where Yankee soldiers do their part to bring
41:06
Speaker 1: me luck, give me more courage. I wore her picture
41:08
Speaker 1: near my heart. It helped me bear the ocean voyage,
41:12
Speaker 1: though very sick with mal de maire and what I
41:16
Speaker 1: ate went to the fishes. My stomach did not get
41:18
Speaker 1: its share. One night in France, we went patrolling to
41:22
Speaker 1: hunt the boshe across the way. With scarce a sound,
41:25
Speaker 1: we reached his trenches. But all at once there's hell
41:28
Speaker 1: to pay. A rocket flares, we are discovered. Machine guns
41:32
Speaker 1: bark to beat the band. And here I was with
41:36
Speaker 1: my girl's picture, caught in barrage in no man's land.
41:39
Speaker 1: And while I lay there, scarcely moving and slowly crawling
41:43
Speaker 1: yard by yard, I bade good bye to her dear
41:46
Speaker 1: features and pressed her picture to my heart. But when
41:50
Speaker 1: this awful war is ended, when for the dear old
41:54
Speaker 1: states I start, I know that I shall find her
41:57
Speaker 1: waiting for me to press her to my heart. Bereaved
42:02
Speaker 1: mothers who may wait in vain should be comforted by
42:05
Speaker 1: the thought that their sons laid down their lives for
42:08
Speaker 1: freedom and lasting civilization. Private Harryzodie, my boy came back.
42:16
Speaker 1: It was but yesterday I prayed, O God, keep safe
42:20
Speaker 1: my darling boy, preserve his courage undismayed through mother love
42:24
Speaker 1: without alloy in Picardy on Flanders fields. He'll do his duty,
42:30
Speaker 1: that I know, and not an inch to hunt. He
42:33
Speaker 1: yields until he gives him blow for blow. Such was
42:37
Speaker 1: my dream of yesterday, and ever since he left my shore.
42:40
Speaker 1: I saw him in the thick of fray, mid poison
42:44
Speaker 1: gas and cannon's roar. God, hear my prayer. My boy
42:48
Speaker 1: is here, my soldier, hero, ne'er to part forgotten. Anguish,
42:53
Speaker 1: hope and fear and peace reigns in a mother's heart.
43:00
Speaker 1: It pays to be cheerful. Just practice smiling, and the
43:03
Speaker 1: greatest hardships will be like play. Let's all pull together
43:07
Speaker 1: and prepare for that grandest smile of all, the smile
43:10
Speaker 1: of victory. Private Harrizodie, the smile victorious. Come on, my boys,
43:20
Speaker 1: keep that smile on your face. Don't lose it. Whatever
43:23
Speaker 1: you do, you cannot smile any more when you're dead.
43:26
Speaker 1: Life is so short, ain't that true? Bear in mind, fellows,
43:30
Speaker 1: where'er you go go without grumbling or guile. The only
43:34
Speaker 1: man that is liked now a days is the man
43:36
Speaker 1: with a song and a smile. Maybe you're here or
43:40
Speaker 1: perhaps over there to fight the unspeakable hun God knows
43:45
Speaker 1: it's hard, but all you should know that Yankees thing
43:48
Speaker 1: fighting is fun. Remember, my lads, there is some one
43:52
Speaker 1: at home wants a letter just once, awhile, whatever you write,
43:56
Speaker 1: though times may be tough, just send them your love
43:58
Speaker 1: and a smile. That government of the people, by the people,
44:06
Speaker 1: and for the people shall not perish from the earth.
44:10
Speaker 1: Abraham Lincoln taps bugler, blows softly the signal our comrade
44:18
Speaker 1: so often enjoyed. Here lies our brother in arms, ne'er
44:22
Speaker 1: to rise again over his flower decked grave. We mourn
44:26
Speaker 1: for a young life destroyed, brave to the last. Yet
44:30
Speaker 1: we know he did not die in vain. End of
44:35
Speaker 1: section eight, Section nine of over Here and over There
44:45
Speaker 1: by Private Harry Zodie. This LibriVox recording is in the
44:48
Speaker 1: public domain. Recording by Marianne how I became a one
44:53
Speaker 1: hundred percent American. I was born in Amsterdam, Holland, on
44:59
Speaker 1: September ninth, eighteen ninety four. At a very early age,
45:02
Speaker 1: I showed a great love for books telling of strange lands,
45:06
Speaker 1: and particularly those describing America, the land of opportunity. I
45:10
Speaker 1: began to dream of America, of its wonders, and longed
45:13
Speaker 1: to see my dream realized. I bought and borrowed dozens
45:16
Speaker 1: of Wild West stories. I looked with awe upon pictures
45:20
Speaker 1: illustrating New York with its tall buildings that seemed to
45:23
Speaker 1: reach the very sky, the majestic Hudson, the wonderful Harbor,
45:27
Speaker 1: and the beehive industries of the metropolis. I often told
45:31
Speaker 1: my mother about my ambition to see all these wonders.
45:35
Speaker 1: She tried to discourage me and told me that I
45:37
Speaker 1: could find plenty of happiness and contentment at home, secure
45:40
Speaker 1: in the love and care of my parents. My father,
45:43
Speaker 1: a practical business man, did not take any stock in
45:46
Speaker 1: a boy's romantic visions. He had mapped out for me
45:49
Speaker 1: a business career and felt that I should follow his
45:51
Speaker 1: ripe judgment in these matters. After a three years course
45:55
Speaker 1: at college, my father decided to send me to Germany
45:58
Speaker 1: to what he considered the most efficient business education. I
46:01
Speaker 1: did not like my stay in the land ruled by
46:04
Speaker 1: the Potsdam Gang, for I had strongly developed democratic ideas
46:09
Speaker 1: and ideals, and for that reason I could never feel
46:12
Speaker 1: at home among people who worshiped a god given ruler
46:15
Speaker 1: and where a brass button was the ultimate expression of power.
46:20
Speaker 1: I was more than glad when, after three years of torture,
46:22
Speaker 1: I could again behold the dikes and windmills of Holland,
46:26
Speaker 1: my native country. Upon my return home, I entered my
46:29
Speaker 1: father's factory in order to become fully acquainted with all
46:32
Speaker 1: details of the enterprise. After this, I spent a little
46:36
Speaker 1: less than twelve months in England, where my father had
46:38
Speaker 1: a buying agency. But here also I could not feel
46:42
Speaker 1: at home. There seemed to be a consuming fever within me,
46:45
Speaker 1: which I could not explain at the time, a longing
46:48
Speaker 1: for something altogether different, a burning desire to be among
46:52
Speaker 1: red blooded people that would grasp my hand and say,
46:55
Speaker 1: come on, be one of us. Thus, much to my
46:58
Speaker 1: father's consternation, I once more appeared in the ancestral home
47:02
Speaker 1: and told him that I had failed to find the
47:04
Speaker 1: realization of my dreams and ambitions. We had quite an
47:08
Speaker 1: argument on the subject, but failed to come to an understanding,
47:11
Speaker 1: as he could not appreciate my longing for freedom and fraternity.
47:16
Speaker 1: In the month of June nineteen fourteen, the month in
47:19
Speaker 1: which the heir to Austria's throne was assassinated, the clouds
47:23
Speaker 1: that had long threatened to disturb the peace of Europe
47:25
Speaker 1: burst and then ensued. The conflict destined to embroil almost
47:29
Speaker 1: the entire world came a period of hysteria. Austria's ultimatum
47:34
Speaker 1: to Serbia was promptly followed by Russia's mobilization, for she
47:38
Speaker 1: was bound to protect her weaker slave brother. This was
47:41
Speaker 1: followed by Germany's declaration of war, and, as if by magic,
47:45
Speaker 1: Europe was aflame, then occurred the greatest crime in history,
47:48
Speaker 1: the invasion of Belgium. This wonderful nation refused to bow
47:52
Speaker 1: to might and did its best to stem the tide. Valiantly,
47:56
Speaker 1: those brave Belgians fought against terrible odds, assisted by a
48:00
Speaker 1: small English volunteer force, For England had declared war on
48:03
Speaker 1: Germany immediately upon the violation of Belgium's integrity, Holland found
48:08
Speaker 1: itself in the maelstrom of the conflict. Yet, following the
48:11
Speaker 1: example of her southern neighbor, pronounced her rights as an independent,
48:15
Speaker 1: neutral nation and proceeded to mobilize all her available forces
48:18
Speaker 1: for the protection of her borders. Thousands upon thousands of poor,
48:22
Speaker 1: homeless Belgian refugees crowded our Land, and I, as a
48:26
Speaker 1: member of one of the improvised committees for belgium Relief,
48:30
Speaker 1: came into close contact with the first victims of German barbarism.
48:34
Speaker 1: I clearly saw that a great wrong had been inflicted
48:36
Speaker 1: on an innocant people, and vowed that at some future
48:39
Speaker 1: time I would do my share to avenge this wrong.
48:44
Speaker 1: My venturesome spirit led me into war stricken Belgium, where
48:47
Speaker 1: I had an opportunity to observe at first hand the
48:50
Speaker 1: result of German culture industrially applied with the sword and
48:53
Speaker 1: the torch. I was an Antwerp during the bombardment in
48:57
Speaker 1: October nineteen fourteen, and the morning after the German occupation
49:01
Speaker 1: of the city, while walking around making notes that I
49:03
Speaker 1: intended to use for publication in Holland, I was arrested
49:06
Speaker 1: by German patrol and locked up in one of the
49:09
Speaker 1: cellars of the Hotel Weber, where the German High Command
49:12
Speaker 1: had established its headquarters. I knew that I was suspected
49:16
Speaker 1: of being a spy. For over five hours, I was
49:19
Speaker 1: kept in communicato without light, food or drink, and I
49:23
Speaker 1: almost suffocated through the lack of fresh air. To my
49:27
Speaker 1: great relief, I at last heard a key great in
49:29
Speaker 1: the lock A rough looking Bavarian ordered me gruffly, to
49:32
Speaker 1: follow him to the commanding officer. This fellow began by
49:35
Speaker 1: accusing me, first in English, then in French, of being
49:38
Speaker 1: a spy. His language was picturesque, to say the least,
49:42
Speaker 1: and freely intermingled with curses and vile epithets. When I
49:46
Speaker 1: feigned ignorance of these languages and failed to answer, he
49:49
Speaker 1: pounded his heavy fist on the table, and, lapsing into
49:52
Speaker 1: his native German, asked me what zum d'novetter do you understand?
49:58
Speaker 1: This outburst made me sm Pulling out my cigarette case,
50:02
Speaker 1: I offered it to him and begged him influent German
50:05
Speaker 1: to taste a cigarette made in England. With a most
50:08
Speaker 1: stupid astonished look on his coarse features, he accepted my
50:11
Speaker 1: offer and said, ah, so you speak German. I smilingly
50:15
Speaker 1: assured him of my complete mastery of his language, and
50:18
Speaker 1: told him that he could have saved himself much trouble
50:21
Speaker 1: and aggravation by starting the conversation in German. Furthermore, I
50:25
Speaker 1: produced a duly attested passport showing my standing as a
50:28
Speaker 1: subject of a neutral nation. He virtually tore the paper
50:31
Speaker 1: from my hand and scowlingly perused it. Finally convinced of
50:35
Speaker 1: my identity, his mood changed and he hastened to apologize
50:39
Speaker 1: for the rough treatment I had undergone. To my great amusement,
50:42
Speaker 1: he began to bow so deeply that he almost dipped
50:45
Speaker 1: his nose into a large inkstand on the table. His
50:48
Speaker 1: visa of my passport gave me full liberty to visit
50:51
Speaker 1: all parts of occupied Belgium. And after availing myself of
50:55
Speaker 1: this privilege to the greatest extent possible, I returned home.
50:59
Speaker 1: Before many days had passed. My desire for a better
51:02
Speaker 1: land and a greater future I assumed such proportions that
51:05
Speaker 1: I bluntly told my father and mother I was going
51:07
Speaker 1: to try my luck in America. Despite tears and protestations,
51:11
Speaker 1: I carried my point, and, leaving the scenes of my
51:14
Speaker 1: childhood without much regret, I set sail for the land
51:17
Speaker 1: of my destiny. Words fail me when I tried to
51:20
Speaker 1: describe my emotions at first beholding that wonderful symbol adorning
51:24
Speaker 1: New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty. For hours I
51:27
Speaker 1: had stood on deck, watching and waiting for a first
51:30
Speaker 1: glimpse of the shores of America. My emotions were many
51:34
Speaker 1: and varied. I felt as if reborn, and from the
51:37
Speaker 1: very moment I stepped ashore, I felt no longer a foreigner,
51:41
Speaker 1: but one of Uncle Sam's an American. In one way,
51:45
Speaker 1: I was disappointed. I had read so much about the Indians,
51:49
Speaker 1: and at least I expected to find myself surrounded by
51:51
Speaker 1: these wild hordes. A fellow traveler directed me to a
51:55
Speaker 1: modest downtown hotel. Another shock awaited me. When I emerged
51:59
Speaker 1: from the sub I suddenly found myself at the foot
52:02
Speaker 1: of one of New York's high as skyscrapers. Hurriedly dropping
52:06
Speaker 1: my suitcase to the sidewalk, I started to count the
52:08
Speaker 1: stories of this wonderful building. Somehow, it took me fully
52:12
Speaker 1: thirty minutes to accomplish this feat, for every time I
52:14
Speaker 1: had reached a certain height, some hurried passer by Everybody
52:18
Speaker 1: seemed to be in a hurry, would jostle me so
52:20
Speaker 1: hard that I lost count and had to start all
52:22
Speaker 1: over again. Almost dizzy with excitement and wonder, I finally
52:26
Speaker 1: reached my hotel and, locked up in my room, burst
52:29
Speaker 1: into tears, for it was then that I first began
52:32
Speaker 1: to realize that I was all alone in this vast country.
52:36
Speaker 1: In retrospect, I cannot help comparing my arrival in this
52:39
Speaker 1: country with my present standing. Now, after having shown my
52:43
Speaker 1: sincere desire to become one of Uncle Sam's own. I
52:47
Speaker 1: am respected, honored, and backed up by a nation of
52:49
Speaker 1: more than one hundred million individuals. Surely I have every
52:53
Speaker 1: reason to feel happy and to be proud and satisfied.
52:57
Speaker 1: After roaming around aimlessly for about six months, the memorable
53:01
Speaker 1: day arrived when I found a real opportunity to demonstrate
53:04
Speaker 1: my inborn Americanism. After showing the utmost patience in the
53:08
Speaker 1: face of repeated insults and broken pledges, my newly adopted
53:12
Speaker 1: country finally found itself compelled to declare war on Kaiserism.
53:17
Speaker 1: The sight of the most beautiful flag ever displayed to
53:19
Speaker 1: the breeze, the sound of that wonderful anthem praising the
53:22
Speaker 1: Land of the Free and the home of the brave,
53:25
Speaker 1: stirred my heart to its greatest depth. And it was
53:28
Speaker 1: right there and then that I clearly saw before me
53:30
Speaker 1: the one and only way to become one hundred percent American.
53:34
Speaker 1: I enlisted in the United States Army as a volunteer,
53:38
Speaker 1: and from the very bottom of my soul came these
53:40
Speaker 1: beautiful words. I pledge allegiance to my flag and to
53:44
Speaker 1: the country for which it stands, One nation, indivisible, with
53:48
Speaker 1: liberty and justice for all. I soon felt the wonderfully
53:52
Speaker 1: stimulating and invigorating effect of military training. My stature became
53:57
Speaker 1: more erect, I developed a splendid appetite, and both my
54:00
Speaker 1: complexion and my weight improved considerably. I was very proud
54:05
Speaker 1: of my uniform, always trying to live up to the
54:07
Speaker 1: great and honorable part which American soldiers were expected to
54:10
Speaker 1: play in this great crisis. While on furlough in New
54:14
Speaker 1: York during one of the Liberty Loan campaigns, I applied
54:17
Speaker 1: to the Liberty Loan Committee for permission to assist in
54:19
Speaker 1: the sale of bonds. They asked me if I had
54:22
Speaker 1: any experience as a public speaker, and to my sorrow,
54:26
Speaker 1: I had to give a negative reply. However, the chairman
54:29
Speaker 1: took and interest in me, and, deciding that he could
54:32
Speaker 1: take a chance with a man wearing the American uniform,
54:35
Speaker 1: assigned me as speaker to a meeting where Governor Whitman,
54:39
Speaker 1: Missus McAdoo, wife of the Secretary of the Treasury, Sergeant
54:43
Speaker 1: Guy Empriy, and other distinguished visitors were present. Shortly after
54:47
Speaker 1: receiving my baptism as a public speaker, I stood in
54:50
Speaker 1: front of the Liberty Bank in Madison Square, where a
54:53
Speaker 1: vast crowd had gathered. As much as my limited knowledge
54:56
Speaker 1: of the English language would permit, I pointed out the
54:59
Speaker 1: enormous sacrifices which were to be made by the millions
55:02
Speaker 1: of brave boys our country expected to send over to France.
55:05
Speaker 1: I was completely carried away by my own speech, for
55:08
Speaker 1: it was not only my mouth that spoke, but my
55:10
Speaker 1: heart and soul too. I told the people that within
55:13
Speaker 1: a few days I expected to go across myself, assuring
55:16
Speaker 1: them that I considered it a privilege and not a sacrifice,
55:20
Speaker 1: to offer my life so that government of the people,
55:23
Speaker 1: by the people, and for the people shall not perish
55:25
Speaker 1: from the earth. Although I was not a polished orator,
55:29
Speaker 1: I had the audience spell bound from beginning to end,
55:32
Speaker 1: because they could clearly see that I spoke with conviction.
55:35
Speaker 1: Then I came to the point where I told them
55:37
Speaker 1: that if I were called up to go over the top,
55:40
Speaker 1: I would gladly go, and if I did not come back,
55:43
Speaker 1: no one would mourn over me. Here I referred to
55:46
Speaker 1: the fact that I was an utter stranger in America.
55:49
Speaker 1: In making my final appeal for subscriptions. My eyes were
55:52
Speaker 1: suddenly arrested and held by those of a beautiful young girl.
55:56
Speaker 1: In those eyes, I saw a reflection of my own patriotism.
55:59
Speaker 1: I felt sure that I had her sufficiently interested to
56:02
Speaker 1: be able to sell her a bond in which I succeeded.
56:06
Speaker 1: Of course, I had no idea at the time that
56:09
Speaker 1: this liberty bond would lead to a marriage bond, but
56:12
Speaker 1: so it proved in the end. The third time I
56:14
Speaker 1: met her, we were engaged, and a few days later
56:16
Speaker 1: I sailed for France. While I am proud of the
56:20
Speaker 1: honor bestowed upon me by General Pershing, the honor of
56:22
Speaker 1: being one of fifty men selected for more than a
56:25
Speaker 1: million to represent the Army of Democracy in its plea
56:28
Speaker 1: for effective backing, I wish to say that I do
56:31
Speaker 1: not see where I deserve this privilege any more than
56:34
Speaker 1: my comrades. I have done but my duty as a
56:37
Speaker 1: man and as a soldier, I have gladly fought for
56:40
Speaker 1: a cause that is just to the about synopsis of
56:43
Speaker 1: my life. I feel inclined to add that since my
56:45
Speaker 1: return to America from the battlefields of France, I have
56:48
Speaker 1: crowned my efforts to become a regular American by marrying
56:52
Speaker 1: a thoroughbred American girl, the girl who bought a liberty
56:55
Speaker 1: bond of me at Madison Square, a perfect specimen of
56:58
Speaker 1: our glorious American womanhood. Private Harry Zode end of section nine,
57:11
Speaker 1: Section ten of over here and over there by Private
57:14
Speaker 1: Harry Zode. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
57:18
Speaker 1: Recording by Marianne A prayer. God bless the one and
57:24
Speaker 1: only flag, which I so deeply love. I feel as
57:27
Speaker 1: if those stars and stripes were sent me from above.
57:31
Speaker 1: God Bless the one and only flag. Its wonderful array
57:34
Speaker 1: has given me new life, new hope. Yea all I
57:37
Speaker 1: have to day. God Bless the one and only flag
57:41
Speaker 1: that I have ever had to love, to guard and
57:44
Speaker 1: to defend. Oh, I'm so proud, so glad. God bless
57:49
Speaker 1: the one and only flag, the red and white and blue.
57:52
Speaker 1: To keep it air without a stain is up to
57:55
Speaker 1: me and you. End of section ten an end of
58:00
Speaker 1: over here and over there by Private Harry Zodie recorded
58:04
Speaker 1: by Marianne Spiegel in Elmhurst, Illinois, July two thousand and twenty.
58:08
Speaker 1: Thank you for listening.