Oklahoman Archives
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
Nov 25, 1918;
France Took Two Huns
Mechanic Vernon Trumbly Shot Last Fourth
of July While Carrying Message At Front
Mechanic Vernon Trumbly, a former Geary
boy, whose parents live at 224 West Pottawatomie here, is home
as a result of a wound received in action July 4 while fighting
around the Soissons sector.
He left France for the United States the
last of September. He was in a hospital at Fort Des Moines,
Iowa, until a few days ago hen he left for Oklahoma City. His
father and mother, Mr. and Mrs.
Moses Trembly and four brothers and two sisters are here.
Two of his brothers, Roy and Earl Trumbly, belong to the
national guard regiment in Oklahoma City.
Trumbly volunteered for service May 1,
1917, and was sent to the Mexican border. After staying there
for one month he left El Paso for France June 1, arriving
overseas June 26. He was in Company L, Sixteenth infantry, First
division. These were the first American troops to go overseas.
The first Americans that were lost in France were in Trumbly's
company.
Trumbly went out with a raiding party
forty-eight in number, to capture German prisoners. They went in
formation a group of about eighteen on the left, the same number
on the right, the two groups being well apart and the rest of
the forty-eight were in the center, well to the rear. Trumbly
was In the group to the left. The party to the right had
encountered a German scouting party and after taking prisoners
they lighted a red flare, which was the signal that they had
accomplished their purpose and for the rest of the troops to go
back. The parties on the right and in the center went back
believing the party on the left would follow.
Meanwhile, the party of the left, of
which Trumbly was one, encountered a large number of Germans who
were just ready to attack the American line. The Americans
rushed in on the Germans and fought them hand to hand,
inflicting heavy losses and putting them to flight. According to
a statement made by a prisoner, there were over 350 Germans in
the bunch that the party of eighteen Americans attacked
and defeated. Nine of the eighteen men were killed in the
combat. Trumbly received a letter of honor from the Chief of
staff for his bravery in this.
At the time he was wounded Trumbly was a
message bearer. He carried the message in a pocketbook in his
right hip pocket and was shot in the hip just above the pocket.
He still has the bloodstained pocketbook.
Mechanic Trumbly was cited seven times
for bravery during his fifteen months in France. He went "over
the top" fifteen times and captured two Germans.
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