teen kilometers (8.4 miles) and they NEVER retreated.

The Negro troops to a great extent went into action with little
training, but they learned quickly in the hard school of experience.
They excelled in grenade throwing and machine gun work. Grenade throwing
is very ticklish business. Releasing the pin lights the fuse. Five
seconds after the fuse is lighted the grenade explodes. It must be timed
exactly. If thrown too quickly the enemy is liable to pick it up and
hurl it back in time to create the explosion in one's own lines. No one
cares to hold a grenade long after the fuse is lighted so the boys
sometimes threw them ahead of the signal.

"Shorty" Childress of B company, 371st Infantry, had been drilled with
dummy grenades. When given the real thing he released the pin and
immediately heard the fulminating fuse working its way down into the
charge. It was too much for his nerves. He threw the grenade as far as
he could send it. The lieutenant reprimanded him severely.

"What do you mean," he said, "by hurling that explosive ahead of the
proper time. Do you want the Boches to pick it up, fire it back here and
blow us all to smithereens?"

"Shorty" was properly abashed. He hung his head and responded:
"Lieutenant, I begs your pardon, I didn't mean to heave it so soon, but
I could actually feel that thing a swellin' in my hand."

But they soon acquired the idea, and after a short time very few of the
grenades reached the enemy either ahead of or behind time.

Here is the valiant and humorous story of Elmer McCowin, 669 Lenox
Avenue, New York City, a private in Company K, 369th infantry, and how
he won the Distinguished Service Cross. He said:

"On September 26th, the captain asked me to carry dispatches. The
Germans pumped machine gun bullets at me all the way, but I made
the trip and got back safely. Then I was sent out again. As I
started the captain hollered to bring him back a can of coffee. He
was joking but I didn't know it.

"Being a foot messenger I had some time ducking those German
bullets. Those bullets seemed very sociable but I didn't care to
meet up with any of them, so I kept on traveling on high gear. None
touched my skin, though some skinned pretty close.

"On the way back it seemed the whole war was turned on me. One
bullet passed through my trousers and it made me hop, skip and
jump. I saw a shell hole six feet deep. Take it from m