Early October marks a Fredericksburg anniversary of which I am sure most residents are completely un-aware.
In the fall of 1918, men from Fredericksburg found themselves on a foggy hillside in northeastern France. The area was known as the Argonne Forest, and the men of Fredericksburg's Washington Rifles, Company K, 116th Infantry, 29th Division, had been ordered to go "over the top" at dawn. They were to assault German and Austrian trenches along a fortified hilltop known as Malbrouck.
As the cold dawn broke and they moved forward into the open fields, they were preceded by a screening artillery bombardment. Attacking uphill, with little cover, they passed through bands of barbed wire and met withering fire from hidden German MG nests. An enemy counterbarrage opened, trapping them along the wire before the enemy trenches.
However, under the leadership of Capt. Alexander Stone of Fredericksburg, they charged forward and took the enemy lines at the point of the bayonet.
In the action on Malbrouck on Oct. 8, 1918, and in the next few days, these men would suffer nearly 30 percent casualties. Capt. Stone was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (second only to the Medal of Honor) for his gallantry.
At the conclusion of World War I, the men returned to parades and were honored by the entire population of the area. They were the heroes of World War I.
Today our young men, and now women, are again in harm's way. Let us pray they return, as did the survivors of Company K, to a nation and community that were as grateful as our forefathers were at the conclusion of World War I.
Glenn Hyatt
Stafford