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Show ORIGINATED THE GOLD STAR Medal Showing Appreciation of the Idea Is Presented to J. M. Buck of Omaha, Neb. A medal purchased with funds given by the governors of many states, General Gen-eral Pershing and a hundred notables in civil and military circles, has been presented to J. M. Buck of Omaha, Neb., who originated the gold star which was placed on the caskets of all war dead to be returned to this country coun-try from European battlefields. Omaha was a distributing point for the United States graves registration service. After the federal agency began be-gan to return bodies from oversell, thousands of caskets passed through Omaha. Mr. Buck suggested to the Omaha American Legion that a gold star be placed on each soldier's casket. The Legion immediately accepted the idea and through the Legion's organization, organi-zation, the custom of placing the star on all soldiers' caskets in all parts of the United Slates was adopted. Every contingent of soldier dead arriving ar-riving at Omaha was met at the railway rail-way station by a delegation from the American Legion. Mr. Buck always accompanied the Legionnaires and supervised su-pervised the placing of the stars on the caskets. The medal was presented Mr. Buck as an expression of appreciation appreci-ation of Ills work. |