Salt Lake Telegram | 1917-11-18 | Page 8 | Kilbane Glories in U. S. Service

KILBANE GLORIES IN U. U S. S SERVICE I Johnny Is Teaching Camp I Sherman Soldiers How I to Use Bayonet j When hen the United States first assumed an attitude of businesslike belligerency toward Germany and the people of this i country realized l that we really were at War war Jess Willard Villard heavyweight champion of or the world shot a n. telegram to President President Pres Pres- ident Wilson Vilson l saying j he was ready to serve whenever the president called on him The president has no not yet called on Jess who at last ast reports i was on the road with his s circus Man Many an a recruIt recruIt- ing nm officer would i have been glad to see the bIg form m of or the heavyweight champion champion cham cham- I Fn In ing pion J office n He the should doorway make of his a splendid recruit specimen for the arm army But the l' l I Ing officer has not set seen n Jess Many 1 other boxers of the country several several sev sev- eral of or them of national repute have hae acted in a totally totany different manner There were those who were not subject sub sub- Sect to draft and even if It they were we could honestly claim exemption on the ground of dependent families But they i did not No more striking example of willingness willing willing- I ness to serve erve the country exists than that of ot Johnny Kilbane featherweight I champion of ot the tho world I JOHN WAIVED EXEMPTION I J Johnny was within the draft age He lie had a wife and two children but when I he registered r in June he ho claimed no ex- ex I emption If It the draft had caught him he would have gone Kilbane was not caught in the draft yet he is found today in the service of the war department and tickled 1 over ovel his work He is a first lieutenant at Camp Sherman where the national army of or Ol Ohio o is getting gettin its Hs first mili I tary they training i Johnny is is- is there to teach the men of the camp the fancy sidesteps a boxer must know the quick jab with the left or or- right arm the feints and the dodgin ing in and ducking so invaluable to a. a In addition to being for the physical development of or the tho soldiers this exercise exercise ex ex- Is also found round valuable in th the bayonet bayonet bayo bayo- net drill drall Army officers have learned that the quick arm aria movements so necessary necessary necessary essary for Cor a successful boxer are aie likewise likewise like like- wise vIse necessary to the soldier who uses the bayonet baronet effectively Before going to Kilbane was at an Eastern camp where he took tool tooka a cour course e In bayonet exercises and saw where his knowledge of ring tactics could be used to advantage by the soldier NOW TEACHES SOLDIERS And now Johnny is in the service of Uncle Sam teaching Ohioans and Pennsylvanians Pennsylvanians Penn Penn- how to use a a. bayonet to penn penn-I the I best advantage a a. German in a a. to hand-to-hand fight In selecting boxers for commissions for this purpose the government did not pick out ut the dubs of the boxing boxing game It went after the good men The first commissions issued were to Kilbane Mike Gibbons the Minnesota sensation in the middleweight class and ana to Battling Battling Bat Bat- Levinsky the untiring expert of the light heavyweight branch Leach Cross the boxing dentist Is serving in a similar capacity in a camp amp campin in California These young oun men with almost perfect physique and with the chance to make many hundreds of dollars dol dot lar lars in the ring game ame this winter have gone into the governments government's service that they might do their bit There are are too scores of ot boxers in country who enlisted In some branch of the service before the draft law became effective and to them much muen credit must mut be be given There are those who were drafted into the service and went to their cantonments in a cheerful manner man man- ner ncr determined to do all an they could to help belp their country All An this they did without braggadocio or display and the they are credited among the boxing fraternity frater frater- for their actions Still there are many others who could get et into tho the service by enlisting or or- orre re refusing refusing re- re fusing to claim exemption It probably would do many of them much good and very likely would not disappoint most mot boxing fans HELL HE'LL SERVE THROUGH WAR Kilbane will be in in the service during the period of the war He is ta preparing to take l Ills s family to Chillicothe while I he is Instructing there there- Papers all over the country have ha-e commented commented com corn I on Kilbane's action in going coing to toI I camp and have stated that In this case cae the army's gain Is the rings ring's loss Joss With the possibility that the war will last three years or more it looks as if Kilbane will be lost to the ring sport for fol a time unless some overconfident overconfident overconfident featherweight ht comes along and claims the title and Johnny gets a a. furlough furlough fur fur- lough louSh to show the aspirant hes he's wrong