Camp Greene Welcomes Army Wounded at Ypres, St. Quentin, Men of Valor, Jan. 4, 1919

Editorial from The Caduceus, news of the Base Hospital at Camp Greene, Charlotte, N.C., Jan. 4, 1919.

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.