They’re Coming Home

HOW PRIVATE NEIBAUR WON THE MEDAL OF HONOR 783

thousand other people gathered from far and near at Sugar City to do him honor. The Governor of the State was there, who, some months before, had appointed this lad on his staff. Singular, is it not, how hero worship still persists? These people were all there to welcome him, and to show that they, themselves, felt honored in knowing that he was a product of their community, now that he had done something which no other man had ever before done! Indeed, we niay search in the histories of the wars that are past, and it will be difficult to find anything to equal the heroism, the bravery, the willing sacrifice, exhibited by this "Mormon" boy. I said, in addressing the gathering at Sugar City, that perhaps some future Longfellow would write of him and say, Listen, my children, I want you to know, The "Mormon" boy hero of Idaho.

I stated also, which caused a little amusement, that I had known for more than fifty years that there was splendid fighting blood in the Neibaur family, for I had married a Neibaur girl, some fifty years ago. Thomas Croft Neibaur was the first private in the United States Army to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, and the French also have conferred on him the decoration of chevalier, also the Legion of Honor, and the Croix de Guerre. Here is the story as he dictated it himself to the stenographer, all so modest, quiet, unaffected, without boasting. It is as thrilling as anything you will read in a life-time:

Private Neibaur's Wonderful Achievement

I enlisted on March 30, 1917, as a volunteer in the National Guard of Idaho, and went to Boise, but was not accepted until April 8, 1917. I was then 18 years of age. Soon after we were examined we were sent out to guard tunnels and bridges on the railroads in northern Idaho and Washington. Continued in this service until October 15, 1917, when I was sent to Camp Mills, Long Island, for training. The weather would not allow us to do much training; we were stationed there until December 15, when we were sent to Camp Merritt, New Jersey. We remained there until the 10th of January, 1918, when we were sent overseas. At that time I was in the Forty-first Division. landed We at Liverpool, England, on the 18th of January, 1918, where we remained for three days, and then were sent to France. On the 10th of February I was transferred to the Forty-second, or Rain- bow Division. Continued with them until I was wounded and disabled.