TRANSCRIBED FROM THE DAILY ARKANSAS GAZETTE JANUARY 24, 1919 P. 4
A machine gun bullet hit me first near the elbow of the left arm, I turned and started back to the shelter of the trenches. I was half stooped part of the time and crawling the rest, dodging from one shell hole to the other, as the fire was terrific. The machine gun nests were peppering our advance. In about 15 minutes from the time the machine gun got me a shrapnel burst behind me. I was then about half stooped over.
A piece of shrapnel struck my field pack and went through it and tore a gash in my back. That heavy field pack saved my life, I am sure.
I never lost consciousness, but went to the dressing station, after I had stayed in the trenches about an hour, waist deep in water. The first dressing station I reached was over crowded with German and as well as American wounded, so I moved on.
Finally I reached a second station, where my wounds were dressed. They had been bleeding all the time and a burning feeling had been running all over my back. After I got out of the shelled part of the field, it was not so bad. From the dressing station, I walked on to the field hospital, and stayed there two or three days. From there they moved me to the base hospital at Vichy.
There are lots of wounded there and many in bad shape. I stayed at Vichy 21 days, then 14 days at Breast before returning to Hoboken.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Lawrence Earnest Keathley concerning being wounded at Verdun on October 8 after his company, the 38th made their first over the top drive. He was born on March 30, 1895 in Mt. Vernon, Arkansas and died on April 21, 1979 in Faulkner County. He is buried in the Heffington Cemetery in Enola, Arkansas. His military headstone identifies him as a Pvt US Army serving in World War I. He was described as being of medium height and build with gray eyes and dark brown hair
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TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
A machine gun bullet hit me first near the elbow of the left arm, I turned and started back to the shelter of the trenches. I was half stooped part of the time and crawling the rest, dodging from one shell hole to the other, as the fire was terrific. The machine gun nests were peppering our advance. In about 15 minutes from the time the machine gun got me a shrapnel burst behind me. I was then about half stooped over.
A piece of shrapnel struck my field pack and went through it and tore a gash in my back. That heavy field pack saved my life, I am sure.
I never lost consciousness, but went to the dressing station, after I had stayed in the trenches about an hour, waist deep in water. The first dressing station I reached was over crowded with German and as well as American wounded, so I moved on.
Finally I reached a second station, where my wounds were dressed. They had been bleeding all the time and a burning feeling had been running all over my back. After I got out of the shelled part of the field, it was not so bad. From the dressing station, I walked on to the field hospital, and stayed there two or three days. From there they moved me to the base hospital at Vichy.
There are lots of wounded there and many in bad shape. I stayed at Vichy 21 days, then 14 days at Breast before returning to Hoboken.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Lawrence Earnest Keathley concerning being wounded at Verdun on October 8 after his company, the 38th made their first over the top drive. He was born on March 30, 1895 in Mt. Vernon, Arkansas and died on April 21, 1979 in Faulkner County. He is buried in the Heffington Cemetery in Enola, Arkansas. His military headstone identifies him as a Pvt US Army serving in World War I. He was described as being of medium height and build with gray eyes and dark brown hair
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TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT