Father Duffy's story : $b a tale of humor and heroism, of life and death with the Fighting Sixty-ninthDuffy, Francis Patrick
History
Father Duffy's story : $b a tale of humor and heroism, of life and death with the Fighting Sixty-ninth
Duffy, Francis Patrick
United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 165th; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, American
Just over to the Regimental Supply Office to see Mangan. I am always
looking for reasons to spend a while with Captain Jack. He has a
great outfit. I watched his trained youngsters, Lacey, Kennedy,
Burke, Nulty and the two delightful Drennan boys at their business
of taking care of the Regiment, which they have learned to do so
efficiently. I wonder if they will find in civil life jobs to suit
the talents they display here. The Regimental Supply Sergeants,
Joe Flannery and Eddie Scanlon, could run anything. First Sergeant
Comiskey is back with us, and so is Harry Mallon, mule-skinner and
funmaker. Everybody was glad to see Harry once more. Walter Lloyd’s
gentle voice booming from a nearby stable let me know that the
Company kitchen was near, so I wandered in that direction for a cup
of coffee from Healy and McAviney—always the height of hospitality
for everybody there. Stopped a row between Frankie Meade and
Carburetor Donnelly—Frankie is the proud guardian of the Regimental
ratter and the other boy-soldier passed a remark about it that no
man would let be said about his dog. I held up Charlie Feick for a
canteen, and before I left Henry and Klauberg and Beverly had dug me
up an O. D. suit, underwear, socks, shoe-laces and a web belt. Had a
good day.
BACCARAT
_May_ 21st, 1918
The new regulations provide for a senior chaplain in each Division. I
felt that General Menoher would appoint me for the job as I am senior
in service, and I had a notion that my friend Colonel MacArthur would
suggest my name. It has been a worry to me as I do not intend to
leave the regiment for anything else on earth and I am afraid I may
have to go through the war hanging around Division Headquarters. So I
asked Colonel McCoy if he would back me in my refusal to accept the
office if I had to quit the regiment, to which I received a hearty
affirmative.
I received news of the outcome from McCoy a few days later. Colonel
MacArthur had told him I was to be senior chaplain, but he was in
entire accord with my wish to remain with a fighting unit. Our Chief
of Staff chafes at his own task of directing instead of fighting,
and he has pushed himself into raids and forays in which, some older
heads think, he had no business to be. His admirers say that his
personal boldness has a very valuable result in helping to give
confidence to the men. Colonel McCoy and Major Donovan are strong on
this point. Donovan says it would be a blamed good thing for the
army if some General got himself shot in the front line. General
Menoher and General Lenihan approve in secret of these madnesses;
but all five of them are wild Celts, whose opinion no sane man like
myself would uphold.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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