Keeping Faith
Over Sea Soldiers—Men back from the mouth of hell—We welcome
you.
We have read of your super-human efforts when at Ypres and
St. Quentin you were the first to break the Hindenburg line. We know you are a
part of the handful of men who return from companies which hurled themselves
against that phalanx of Teuton steel and with courage which shattered the
nerves of Prussia’s blood-fed veterans, carried the tide of victory over trench
after trench.
Your native sons of The Old North State will always bear the
name of being “Tar Heels” who knew no fear when Duty called for men of valor. A
part of your number were only boys, just lads in their teens, with the ruddy
flush of youth upon their weather beaten faces, and yet you have lived whole
epics of such moment that a greater than Homer would be taxed to chronicle the
Illiad of your exploits on the shell-wrecked dunes of the Belgian battle front.
We are glad to take you by the hand. We are proud to hear
you call us comrades. We are gratified by the friendly terms of greeting you
extend us.
We know that your deference is not due to the fact that you
understand the woes of the silent fights which we have waged against disease
during the year that we have kept our wards at Camp Greene. You could not have
heard about our brothers who went down in the black hours when we battled in that
courage which meets an unseen foe and when no man faltered in his duty. You
could not know our silent vigils and our uncried victories over the hosts of
death germs which threatened the lives of our comrades and ours.
Yet you are warm in your salutations because you know of the
work of our kind along the fire-lit front. The medical men came to you in the
moment when you fell. It was the wearers of the caduceus who bore you to a
place of safety. You have felt the tender touch of the Army Nurse and heard her
word sof encouragement. You know the tireless skill of the medical officers.
All the way from the cratered terrains of your battle sector to the point where
you are about to be discharged to your homes, the medical department has given
you its constant service.
Because our brothers in that line of mercy from Camp Greene
to the cannon’s mouth, have kept the faith, you honor us by the smile of
friendly greeting. We return that acknowledgement of comradeshp by the pledge
that we will continue to give our whole-souled care to all the soldiers who are
brought to us for healing. In our way we will match our service with yours in
response to every call of duty in order that we may feel worthy to be classed
with you as saviors of justice and democracy when our government has written
the history of its heroes of the world war.
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