Henry E. Couch Died of Disease in World War I
James Richard Berry & Clabe Berry
Submitted by Beverly Berry
There have been a lot of 'premonitions' in our family. This time, the premonition came to Clabe's mother. Clabe's mother had a premonition that her son would be shot on German soil, and would be left there to die. She told her nephew James, and James offered to join the war to save Clabe's life.
Because of the vision that Clabe's mother had was so vivid, she was able to describe the event clearly, so that James knew right away what was happening. Clabe was shot on German soil and the American troops were retreating, just like in his mother's vision.
Clabe was down and his gas mask was damaged. James took his own gas mask off and put it on Clabe and laid over the top of Clabe, pretending to be dead. The Nazis walked right over the top of both of them. James breathed in so much mustard gas that he lost part of a lung and a third of his stomach. James recieved the Purple Heart, one of many, many medals that he would recieve in World War I. When the war was finished, James and Clabe returned to Low Gap, Arkansas.
George H. Egger
Submitted by Beverly Berry
Son of James Holland Egger and Fannie Clara Kendrick Egger, brother of Mary Frances Egger Berry.
Postcards from Camp Pike
Submitted by Beverly Berry
Where the Van Buren Co. men trained for WWI.