File:"With the help of God and a few Marines, (1919) (14785748273).jpg

Identifier: withhelpofgodand00catl (find matches)
Title: "With the help of God and a few Marines,"
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Catlin, Albertus Wright, 1868- Dyer, Walter A. (Walter Alden), 1878-1943
Subjects: United States. Marine Corps World War, 1914-1918 -- United States World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, American
Publisher: Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Page & Company
Contributing Library: University of Massachusetts, Boston
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Massachusetts, Boston

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! Do you want to live forever?* The ripping fire grew hotter. The machine gunsat the edge of the woods were now a bare hundredyards away, and the enemy gunners could scarcelymiss their targets. It was more than flesh and bloodcould stand. Our men were forced to throw them-selves flat on the ground or be annihilated, and therethey remained in that terrible hail till darkness madeit possible for them to withdraw to their originalposition. Berrys men did not win that first encounter inthe attack on Belleau Wood, but it was not theirfault. Never did men advance more gallantly inthe face of certain death; never did men deservegreater honour for valour. Sibley, meanwhile, was having better luck. Iwatched his men go in and it was one of the mostbeautiful sights I have ever witnessed. The bat-talion pivoted on its right, the left sweeping acrossthe open ground in four waves, as steadily and cor-rectly as though on parade. There were two com-panies of them, deployed in four skirmish lines, the
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AND A FEW MARINES 115 men placed five yards apart and the waves fifteento twenty yards behind each other. I say they went in as if on parade, and that isliterally true. There was no yell and wild rush, buta deliberate forward march, with the Hnes at rightdress. They walked at the regulation pace, becausea man is of little use in a hand-to-hand bayonetstruggle after a hundred yards dash. My handswere clenched and all my muscles taut as I watchedthat cool, intrepid, masterful defiance of the Germanspite. And still there was no sign of wavering orbreaking. Oh, it took courage and steady nerves to do that inthe face of the enemys machine gun fire. Men fellthere in the open, but the advance kept steadily onto the woods. It was then that discipHne andtraining counted. Their minds were concentratednot on the enemys fire but on the thing they hadto do and the necessity for doing it right. Theywere listening for orders and obeying them. In thisframe of mind the soldier can perhaps walk with ev

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