Kennewick Bids Farewell to Battery B
A town marks the somber, patriotic departure of local men heading to the front lines of the Great War.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The war was brought closer home to the people of Kennewick Tuesday when the boys of Battery B came over from Walla Walla before leaving for North Carolina. While the day was one of feasting and joy-making, the festivities were marked with an undertone of sinister seriousness. There were tears mingled with the smiles and the joy of welcome was tempered by the sadness of the farewell. The day will be long remembered by the boys of the battery as well as by the citizens of Kennewick. The home-stayers were reminded that the most we can do here seems trivial in comparison to the great sacrifice these young patriots are making. They have turned their backs upon their loved ones and severed the ties of home to live or die for their country. For us, there should be no slackening in our work; we should regard the call for Liberty Bonds, for Red Cross work, and for food conservation as mandatory as those boys must regard the order to charge.
“They have turned their backs upon their loved ones and severed the ties of home and are to live or die for their country as Fate wills it.”
This editorial captures the visceral anxiety of a community sending its youth to WWI. Today, Kennewick honors its veterans at memorials, but the 1917 sentiment reflects the immediate, haunting uncertainty of a world where soldiers were often seen off by train to a conflict with no known end date.
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