Singing at their work? Twichell never expected to see and hear that. But he did. Southern Sector commander O’Connor, convinced by his black soldiers’ performance at Sikanni Chief that they could build bridges, gave them more bridges to build, made bridge building something of a specialty for the 95th.
Link to the last story in the series “Five Days to a Bridge”
And the soldiers of the 95th built bridges. Colonel Twichell reported in a letter to his wife that as the regiment entered an area of ravines the road needed bridges every few miles. “Physically our men are superb, and there are many fine woodmen and carpenters among them. It is a thrilling thing to hear them singing and laughing at their work, felling and hewing heavy timbers and, and shaping them into the job.”
The men took to posting signs at their bridges along with the tonnage they could support. Finally, one company built one that supported a load of 50 tons. In the interest of speed, the Colonel “suggested that..” somewhat lower load limits might prove sufficient.
Major Miles Thompson, one of Twichell’s subordinate commanders, took, every now and then, to concentrating the small complement of heavy equipment available to him on a short stretch of road. His soldiers left it, not pioneer road but finished Highway.
That done, Thompson would have his men place a signpost. “Model Road: Built by 2nd Battalion, 95th Engineers.” The soldiers knew that the civilians who followed them, turning the pioneer road into a finished highway, tended to make disparaging remarks about their abilities and the condition of the road they left behind them.
What did the sign really say to the civilians? The soldiers of the 95th could build road as well as anybody given enough time and equipment.