Shell Shocked, But He
Sees Home Once More. . . Sergt. Lee Jackson Had Tough Experience, But He Comes
From France With Honors
Shell shocked and gassed in the Argonne Forest in France in
the midst of the heavy fighting of Oct. 15, 1918, Sergt. Lee Jackson of
Elizabeth City is home again. His nerves have been literally shot to pieces;
this youth of 23 twitches and starts like an old man with St. Vitus Dance. But
he says he is getting over it day by day and expects to be himself again in a
few short weeks.
Sergt. Jackson was with the Medical Detachment of the 102nd
Ammunition Train of the 27th Division. On the night of Oct. 15 he
was with an outfit carrying munitions to the infantry in the Argonne. A big
high explosive shell from the German lines exploded in 20 feet of him. He
dropped unconscious, but regained consciousness in about 10 minutes. He didn’t
carry a scratch. He wasn’t even hit by particles of flying dirt cast up by the
exploding shell. But the next day he began to feel the effects of the shock. A
medical examination also revealed that he had been gassed. He recovered from
the gas in a few days, but recovery from the shell shock is not so rapid.
Sergt. Jackson came home with the French Croix de Guerre
with an accompanying bronze star for distinguished service. It happened on the
night of Oct. 3 there was an explosion in a dugout in his vicinity and the
cries of men in the dugout were heard. Sergt. Jackson with some companions
located the dugout, burst open the door and rescued a French lieutenant and
several men who had been blinded by the explosion and were in danger of being
burned to death.
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