Henry M. Brooks

The following is a reproduction of extracts from an article written by the author of this volume, on the afternoon of November 6, 1918, following the burial of Private Joseph A. Loughran, and published in the Standard-Sentinel, a daily newspaper of Hazleton, Pa., on December 11, 1918.

In general the article expresses the bond of feeling each battery casualty called forth.

"I have lost a friend; the United States has lost a good soldier; and Hazleton, Pennsylvania, has lost another flower of its noble manhood--was the total of my thoughts this afternoon as I stood, one of a military escort, and saw the remains of Joseph A. Loughran consigned to a resting place in the sacred soil of France.

"He was truly 'One of Us.' To the military records he was known as a Private First Class, but to us he was 'Al,' one in common and ever affectionate.

"Twenty of us, comrades-in-arms, all from the same city in dear old Pennsylvania, who formed the escort, listened in profound sympathy, as we, with the battery in line at our side, paid the last military honors to our deceased comrade.

"The sun was shining serenely overhead; all was calm and quiet as a moment of silent homage followed the last note of Taps sounded over the grave.

"The casket, enshrouded in Old Glory, for which he endured and died, was lowered, but his soul, no one could doubt, had already winged itself to the portals of eternity; there to repose in well-earned rest, to ever serve his God as he served God and country his mortal while.

"He died in the height of his development as a trained soldier. Although removed from the scene of actual warfare and listed as 'Died of Disease' in the casualty records, not one of the thousands of the A.E.F. fallen on the field of battle suffered a more heroic or noble death.

"He was prepared, ready and willing. Months of strenuous effort spent in mastering the soldier game were cut short on the eve of material advantage to the cause, but the spirit of his endeavors lives in the heart of the outfit he served. It is the spirit, sometimes called morale, that is the decisive factor.

"At the tomb of the dead the regimental chaplain vouched the fact that the departed soldier communed every Sunday of his army life.

"In civil life, before entering the call of selectiveness, his worth and devoutness was well known to a large circle of friends. His military associations were none the less extensive and tender.

"It was while doing his duty, along lines of communication as a member of the Battery Commander's Detail, on the range at La Courtine, that he fell a victim to pneumonia, resulting in early demise.

"There are many incidents connected with the life of our fallen soldier and friend that could be extolled. But those who knew him need no words. His life shines out as a true beacon.

"The boys of the battery in which he served bow in heartfelt sympathy to his wife, parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends. He died, but his death has not been in vain. His spirit lives to cheer his comrades on to greater deeds of patriotism. His loved ones at home can be proud of 'Al.' He died every inch a man and patriotic to the core.

"His grave was not neglected. The boys tenderly sodded its mound and placed a wreath of holly, plucked from the hills of Creuse, where he last trained. The grave is marked with a wooden cross, on which is inscribed his name, rank, and command, and to which is attached the soldier's identification disc.

"It is Grave No. 84 in the American cemetery, situated on a gentle slope of one of the picturesque hills of Creuse province, overlooking Camp La Courtine."