Major Donovan is over every few days to have his wound attended to and incidentally to see his brother Tim, who is a surgeon with the Buffalo Unit. Today he gave me a piece of news that came as a shock though hardly as a surprise—the orders are out to make Colonel McCoy a Brigadier General and he is to leave us. He has been with us less than four months yet I feel as if I had known him for forty years, and this war is going to be a different sort of thing for me lacking his presence. But the staying thing about life is that institutions go on even though men may pass. My thoughts turned to the regiment. “Who is likely to be Colonel?” I asked. “We are all united on Mitchell,” said the Major, “and I think General McCoy will be able to arrange it for us.” “I have always thought that General McCoy can do anything he sets out to do. As for Mitchell, with the possible exception of yourself, Major, there is no man I had rather see have it.” “Oh, Hell, Father, I don’t want to be Colonel. As Lieutenant Colonel I can get into the fight and that’s what I’m here for. We all want Mitchell.” “You are a selfish creature, Bill. Did you ever see anybody more contented in action than the man you want to tie up to a telephone?” “Well, somebody has to be tied up to the telephone, McCoy didn’t like it, nor MacArthur. And then, as you know, they can always find some reason to get away from it and have a little excitement.” VITTEL _August_ 29th, 1918 The orders have come already to move up to the next battle area. Instead of having a month for rest and training the Division has had but ten days in its new area. Orders came in on the 28th and the regiments moved out on the 29th, our headquarters being at Gendreville. On the next day they moved to Viocourt, the 2nd and 3rd battalions being at Courcelles. Major Lawrence came to see me at the hospital to tell me about the new move and I obtained permission to leave and rejoin my regiment. I shall always have a warm place in my heart for the doctors and nurses of the Buffalo and Westchester County Units. VIOCOURT _September_ 1st, 1918 I walked into Division Headquarters at Chatenois today on my business as Senior Chaplain. I sent off a couple of telegrams to the G. H. Q. Chaplains about a Protestant chaplain that I want them to send for the Alabamas and also stirring them up about a Protestant chaplain that I had been asking them for a long time for my own regiment. Another telegram went to the K. of C. at Paris to send a priest to look after Catholics in the Illinois and Indiana artillery regiments, as the chaplains there are anxious to have one. My final inquiry was about transportation to Toul for Jewish members of the Division in order to have them celebrate their approaching feast. Sergeant Marcus looked up at me and grinned: “Say, Father Duffy, aren’t you glad you have no Buddhists to look after?” He added that the adjutant had a surprise in store for me.