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| | 1ST CL. PVT. FRED LEQUIA
Serial No. 2,98:3,475
319 Peck St., Negaunee, Mich.
Private Lequia joined the Battery June 25. 1918, coming from the clover land of Michigan. He was of French descent and showed this in his alertness of mind, which qualified him and made him eligible for the Machine Gun School at Coetquidan. He was a member of Corporal Whalen’s vigilant “Vengeance Nine.” These deadly “Nine” always kept an all-seeing eye heavenward in quest of enemy planes. While the Battery was on the march, at rest at night and in action they were the sleepless sentinels who must be ever ready to protect the guns and cannoneers from surprise attacks either from front or rear. They were the ‘‘Minute Men” of Battery B. They manned the machine guns and also directed fire at enemy planes.
At Coetquidan Private Lequia was a victim of the flu, which his good physique successfully fought off. He was generous almost to the degree of a fault, never grumbled, and performed his tasks always in a soldierly way. His sunshiny nature will make him a pleasant memory. |