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Show The V- F.W. Returns to Its Birthplace i J Ey ELMO SCOTT WATSON THIS year members of the V. F. W. are going' back to the "birthplace" of their organization to hold their 37th national encampment. In case you don't know what V. F. W. stands for, it's Veterans of Foreign Wars, an organization of ex-Fervice men ', who have fought on foreign soil or in foreign waters under the j Stars and Stripes. Though its officials would indignantly deny any basis for comparison with any other body of former fighting men, the V. F. W. is generally regarded as the American approximation ap-proximation of a French Foreign Legion association. For its membership Includes col- orful characters who have carried the American flag to the far corners cor-ners of the earth, soldiers of fortune for-tune who put on Uncle Sam's khaki uniform to seek further adventure in distant places, men who distinguished distin-guished themselves in battle and then came back to civilian life to rise high in state and national coun- s i IK' 'J j GEN. IRVING HALE First commander of Stewart post, Denver, and later commander-in-chief of the national organization row known as the Veterans of Foreign For-eign Wars. This picture was taken in the Philippines while General Hale was colonel of the First Colorado Infantry, U. S. V. Later he was ad- vanced to brigadier-general for his services at the Battle of Manila and i was twice cited for gallantry in ! action during the Philippine cam paign. ! ells. So when the V. F. W. goes back to Its "birthplace" and holds I Its annual convention In Denver, Colo., on September 13 to 16 of this I year It will recall again the lnter- I esting story of the founding of that I organization 37 years ago. It was a cold winter night in 1S99 when some 60 men entered a basement base-ment door of Colorado's new state-house. state-house. They were young men, lean and hard, all of them bearing the mark of tropical suns; some of them Jaundiced by fever or pale from the ravages of dysentery. But they all had a bond in common. They had faced death and disease together. They had known the humid hu-mid heat of the Philippine jungles. They could Imitate the sound of a whizzing Malay kriss or the whine cf a Mauser bullet Once inside the building they headed for a door on which appeared ap-peared the legend: "State Board of Cupltol Managers." The new cap-i cap-i ltol building of a state which was ' Itself only twenty-three years old was not completed at the time. Much of the Interior remained to be finished; fin-ished; the gold-leafed dome, now a landmark In the West, had not yet been planned. The board of capltol managers was housed In quarters Which boasted only oue desk with Ing, who had entered the Spanish-American Spanish-American war In command of a regiment reg-iment and emerged In command of a brigade. To him had come the Idea of banding together men who had campaigned together on foreign soil under the Stars and Stripes; who enjoyed a common background back-ground of friendship, privation and mutual understanding. He saw in the formation of such a body the possibilities for social and patriotic benefits not only to members but also to the country coun-try at large. Here would be a body of seasoned veterans whose fighting qualities might provide a bulwark for national defense; a source of leadership and guidance guid-ance In times of peace. General Hale had no way of knowing, on December 12, 1S99, that among the men who gathered at his call, one was destined to become United States senator from Colorado Colo-rado ; another, the three-times mayor of Denver; two, colonels In the World war; a dozen or more, leaders lead-ers In business and Industry. Nor did the men, exchanging handclasps hand-clasps with their former battle chief, sense any history In the making. John S. Stewart Camp No. 1, National Na-tional Society, Army of the Philippines, Philip-pines, was formed that night. The unit was named In honor of the young Pueblo (Colo.) officer, senior captain of Company A, First Colorado Colo-rado Infantry, who was killed in a Marlqulna Valley engagement with Filipino insurrectos, March 25, 1899. The memory of Captain Stewart was still fresh In the minds of his comrades when they assembled eight months after his death to form their society. It continues to be a fresh and verdant memory In 1936. It is more than that John S. Stewart Post No. 1, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, has become a tradition known to -every city, town and hamlet in the nation where a V. F. W. post exists. Colorado's "Firsts." It was singularly appropriate that the Veterans of Foreign Wars should have originated In Denver and have been started by former members of the First Colorado Volunteers. Vol-unteers. For the First Colorado has been "first" In several other respects. re-spects. Just 24 days after President McKinley had Issued his call for 125,000 volunteers to fight In the war with Spain, the state of Colorado Colo-rado had recruited its full quota of 1.0SG oflicers and men twelve companies of Infantry and two troops of cavalry and there were still scores of enthusiastic young fellows who wanted to go and were disappointed because they had been left behind. In less than a month's time Camp U . i - ; ' i if 'yv . ; Color Guard before headquarters of the First Colorado Infantry, U. S. V., at Manila, following the battle in the Filipino capital, showing the bullet-torn colors. The men are H. P. Denniss, Dick Homer, E. A. Mead and R. M. Adams. style of coat, from yellow oilskin slickers to fur-lined overcoats of all the things to be taken along on a campaign in a tropical jungle! jun-gle! But If Denver smiled then, It had good reason to be proud of its soldiers sol-diers later. For the First Colorado was the first organization of volunteers volun-teers to land at Manila on July 16 and the troops which hoisted the American flag above the captured Spanish forts on August 13 were headed by the First Colorado. Moreover More-over its commanding officer, Irving Hale, who went to Manila as a colonel, came back as a brigadier-general brigadier-general because of his brilliant leadership In the attack on that date. The next year after that first winter win-ter meeting of the Philippine veterans vet-erans in the Colorado capital, General Gen-eral Hale again Issued an assembly call. This time It was designated as the First Annual Reunion of the Army of the Philippines, and included in-cluded veterans from virtually every ev-ery state from which troops had been sent to the Philippine Islands. This encampment lasted three days and a national organization was perfected. per-fected. Major General Francis V. Greene of New York was elected commander-in-chief, on recommendation recommen-dation by General Hale that a man from the more populous eastern centers cen-ters be chosen head of the Infant body. How V. F. W. Was Named. Meantime, and during successive years, various other foreign service groups sprang into existence. They were called "Veterans of Foreign Service," "The Philippine War Veterans," Vet-erans," "American Veterans of the Philippines and China." At Denver, for a third time, a convention was in i:33 niau a muiim a uuje tiuip irom me more populous eastern cen- Once inside the building they ters be chosen head of the ,nfant headed for a door on which ap- J body peared the legend: "State Board of : lx ' Cupltol Managers." The new cap- How V. F. W. Was Named. i ltol building of a state which was ' A i ,, j j , i ., ,, , . . .. ,," ! ' Meantime, and during successive Itself only twenty-three years old ! A ' I 5 ... . , , - 1 'i years, various other fore gn service was not completed at the t me. Much . j .,' ,,. ,t mu .,.. i $ 1 groups sprang into existence. They o the interior 'remained to be fin- jr were called Veterans of Foreign shed ,Mhe gold-lea ed dome, now a L - J Service," "The Philippine War vlt- landmnrk in .the West, had not ye J - ( . .Amerlcan Veteran3 of the been planned. The board of capltol -u-.4 Philippines and China." At Denver, managers was housed in quarters . , i for a third time, a convention was Which boasted only oue desk with ,- , . : j p, r rf SrX r"----! -1 ' N v At ' v - v ' s it ' i j J - a. , - j ' , 1 y ft f $ - ' , f - i i ! j , sf' j ' - - , - - - i " .... ,-. - s Members of the First Colorado Infantry, U. S. V., crossing the Bridge of Spain and entering Manila as the vanguard of the invading American army on August 13, 1S98. plenty of room for a fair-sized gathering gath-ering when extra chairs were brought In. As the men strolled Into this room they were greeted by Boa Stnplcton with the slow bashful grin that has since become familiar to hundreds of thousands of ex-service ex-service men all over the United States. In later years he would become be-come known as the thrice-elected mayor of the city of Denver but at that time he was known as a former for-mer quartermaster sergeant of the First Colorado Volunteers. Another man who greeted thera was Gen. Irving Hale, an electrical engineer by profession and a soldier by train- Alva Adams, named In honor of the governor of the state, had been built near Denver. But six days was all the time that the First Colorado Colo-rado Volunteers had In which to drill ns a unit before their colonel, Irving Hale, led them on the march down Sixteenth street to the Union station to entrain for service In the Philippines. No doubt that historic march will be recalled when the V. F. W.'s hosts march through Denver's streets at the encampment this fall On that day, May 17, 1S9S, business was suspended for the day while Denver turned out to speed Its soldiers sol-diers on their way. Thousands massed along flag-decked Sixteenth street to cheer the twelve companies of doughboys and two troops of horsemen and then followed them to the railway station. There, while waiting for the train to pull out, some of the soldiers donned their overcoats and old-time Denverites still smile at the recollection. Many of them had furnished their own equipment and there was every held In 1913. Here a consolidation was effected, and Klce W. Means of Denver named commander-in-chief. Under his leadership, a referendum ref-erendum vote by the membership was taken, and he issued General Order No. 10 which designated the merger as: "Veterans of Foreisn Wars of the United States." This title was ratified at the Pittsburgh encampment of 1914; and the eligibility eligi-bility clause remains today essentially essen-tially as agreed upon In Denver 35 years ago. From that time, Veterans of Foreign For-eign Wars grew with amazing speed. The founders, recognizing that age of the membership would eventually put an end to the organization's organ-ization's existence if eligibility was restricted to the Philippine campaign cam-paign and Boxer rebellion, enlarged Its scope to include all those who had participated in any American hostilities on alien soil. Thus, soldiers, sol-diers, marines and sailors who represented rep-resented Uncle Sam in Mexico, In South American Imbroglios, on China seas and at points where "the marines have the ' situation well in hand" I were eligible. Within a 5 short time, the World war added thousands to I the V. F. W. roster. Today, practically I every community In i the U ni t e d States boasts at least one V. j F. W. post. In many of f ,.. , sltuatj0I1 w,,;i in hand" ! ; were eligible. Within a ( t I ; short time, the World - ' I ; war added thousands to " f t the V F. W. roster. ? ' I I j Today, practically 'Xf every community In , -J 4 " , i theUnitedStates -tf t - a ' boasts at least one V. - t p " , M F. W. post In many of y. " -'y'jy y. t'. y ' . . :-.-.. :& i y - -. I v . v 1 n . 1 :' L 1 1 " - f fv i r s - "vi r- "if, v t 0 if 'V . ,t - ' - 1 - ! ti "j ' '""'. ' i-2 the larger population centers there are from two to half a tlozen such units. Hundreds of Individual posts are larger than the original group which gathered to form the Army of the Philippines, with John S.Stewart camp its rallying point. The total membership grown from a group scarcely larger than enough to constitute a respectable respecta-ble guard mount now aggregates over 250,000 and Is drawn from veterans of more than 50 United States military campaigns on foreign for-eign soil, dating from the Mexican Mexi-can war 1847 and including the World war. From a body of purely local significance sig-nificance that could have passed a A i j iK V' I t J : f , , IS i "'- I ' s 1 ' ' f 't,j :3 k RICE MEANS Elected commander-in-chief when the Veterans of Foreign Service and the Army of the Philippines merged to become the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Denver in 1913. He served as a colonel in the World war and was later United States senator from Colorado. given point, single file, within half an hour, it will require about six hours for columns of squads, bands, drum corps, Infantry, cavalry and artillery to pass the reviewing stands In Denver next September. In addition will be an aerial demonstration dem-onstration to surpass anything ever seen at such an event. President Roosevelt recently invited by Colorado's Colo-rado's Governor Ed. C. Johnson, Denver's mayor, Benjamin F. Staple-ton, Staple-ton, and the Encampment Corporation's Corpora-tion's chairman, William E. Gunther, will, in all probability, be present to address those at the 193G encampment encamp-ment of Veterans of Foreign Wars. For the third time, during the week of September 13-13, James E, Van Zandt will preside as commander-in-chief of Veterans of Foreign For-eign Wars. He will receive accolade from his comrades (with bonus money in their pockets) as the man who, more than any other one individual. indi-vidual. Is responsible for passage of the Adjusted Compensation art considered the crowning acliiese ment In V. F. W. history. Western Newspaper |