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Show LEGION (Copy for This Department Supplied by the American Legion News Service.) TO DECORATE 32,100 GRAVES American Legion Plans for Endow, merit Fund to Annually Provlds Proper Attention. The graves of 32,100 American World war heroes on foreign soil will never be forgotten on Memorial day by the American Legion, under the plans for an endowment fund to be established by the national organization. organiza-tion. This fund will be of sufficient amount to annually provide for the permanent decoration of the graves of the dead of the World war, as long as the Legion Itself shall exist. Shortly after the close of the war, collection of a million francs, approximately approx-imately $66,000, was made by the Paris post of the American Legion, but the income from this amount has not been found sufficient to do the necessary work annually, so that the endowment plan has been taken up by the national organization and the goal set at $100,-000. $100,-000. As a result of the operation of this fund, American Legion representatives will visit the graves of the dead in six different countries on Memorial day and see to it that the grave of every goldier, sailor or marine Is fittingly remembered. re-membered. The government Is maintaining main-taining these graves in a proper manner, man-ner, taking excellent care of the cemeteries ceme-teries and plots, but the Legion considers con-siders that its duty is to pay direct personal tribute to those who gave their lives to their country. According to information given to the Legion, there are 31,400 graves in France and Belgium ; 488 In England ; 140 In Scotland; Scot-land; 40 In Ireland. One American sailor is burled In Spain. The fund will be raised from direct contributions from Legion posts and members throughout the country. The national treasurer of the American Legion Le-gion is authorized to receive . either contributions of posts or private donations. WILL STUDY MILITARY WEEDS Lieut. Col. William P. Screws, Chairman Chair-man of Military Affairs Committee, to Direct Work. Lieut. Col. William P. Screws, of Montgomery, Ala., has been appointed chairman of the military a f f a irs committee of the American Legion, one of the most important of the committees which serve the veterans' vet-erans' organisation. organisa-tion. Colonel Screws Is 1 n-structed n-structed by the national executive committee of the Legion that his Lieut Col. Screws commlttee lg pected to study the military needs of the nation with a view to recommending recommend-ing to the annual convention of the Legion necessary changes in existing legislation or new legislation on subjects sub-jects which have not been covered by reports of previous committees on these affairs. The military affairs committee of the Legion was Instrumental In framing fram-ing the national defense act, which has become a law, and is considered one of the most Important pieces of work accomplished toward Increasing the efficiency of the nation. At present Colonel Screws is senior instructor of the Alabama National Guard. LEGION SEEKS MISSING MAN Fred Arnold Beer, Buffalo Oversea Veteran, Disappeared Two and Half Years Ago. Relatives of Fred Arnold Beer of Buffalo, N. T., have asked the Ameri can Legion to help them locate him. Beer has been missing from the Utlca State hospital hos-pital for two and a half years. He saw service with the Three Hundred Hun-dred and Forty-eighth Forty-eighth ambulance company, and after his return was placed in the fs H hospital as one of , . the mental pa- Fred tients. His mother, who la a widow, Is using us-ing every possible resource to locate her lost son, who Is an only colli Beer Is thirty-four years old, a letter from his cousin who is aiding the search for the missing man states, weighs about 135 pounds and is five feet nine and one-half inches tall. He bas light-brown hair and eyes, and occasionally goes under the Impression Impres-sion that his name Is Kelly or Squires. Anyone who con give any Information Informa-tion concerning this missing veteran 13 asked to communicate with his cousin, Theodore H. Becker, Jr, 543 Ellicott quare, Buffalo, N. T. LEGION MAN BUSY IN CHINA Alfred H. Holt, Wisconsin Doy, Was First. CVemmander f Americin Orrjanlzation in China. Alfred H. Holt, formerly of Oconto, Wis., was the first commander of the 1 Alfred H. Holt. German war brides and their babies, Dr. Kate : Waller Barrett. j national president ; of that organiza-1 organiza-1 1 o n, has an-nounced. an-nounced. Dr. Barrett went to Savannah to welcome the German women, in the name of the Auxiliary and, Canton (China) American Legion post, one of the recently organized branches of the soldiers' organization organiza-tion In foreign climes. Had it not been for the Legion Le-gion man China today would be lacking a good "republican" o r two, for it was his home that sheltered the may or of Canton, son of Doctor Sun lat Sen, during the fighting for the possession posses-sion of the city In 1922. Holt Is an instructor at the Canton Christian college, where he teaches French and English to the Chinese students. He Is also Instructor of military mili-tary tactics to the cadet corps, and Is active in boy scout work of the school. While the fighting was In progress last June, the gunboats of Doctor Sun Tat Sen were shelling the city and were answered by the forts of the town. The fire grew so Intense that Doctor Sun's wife, his son, then the mayor of the city, his wife, fled to the college grounds for safety. One shell, fortunately fortu-nately a "dud," lit squarely on top of a college dormitory, but did no harm. Since Doctor Holt's election as commander com-mander of thii faraway post, he hns taken an active part In Its work. He organized an American Legion baseball team, of which he himself Is a member, as well as of the college baseball team, which met the University of California on the recent trip that team made to the Orient It Is said that when these two teams met, the armies of the republicans re-publicans and Irregulars suspended fighting long enough to watch the baseball base-ball game. A student at Williams college In 1917, Holt became a member of the first training camp at Plattsburg In 1918, and at the close of this camp was ordered to Camp Lee, Va.- for further training. He was commissioned as second lieutenant of Infantry early in November, 1918, but failed to get overseas. over-seas. After his release from service he returned to college, finished his course, and soon afterward accepted the post of Instructor in China. He heads a small but extremely enthusiastic enthusias-tic bunch of Legionnaires In Canton. GREET GERMAN WAR BRIDES National President of Legion Auxiliary Auxil-iary Announces Organization Members Mem-bers Will Serve as Big Sisters. Members of the American Legion Auxiliary will act as big sisters to sfTs' - ry iyl while there, made . i Dr. Kate Barrett arrangements to obtain information in regard to th final destination of the Rhine- women. Auxiliary units In those communities will assist the brides In acclimating themselves to a new country. Dr. Barrett believes that many of the unpleasant un-pleasant experiences which naturally fall to the lot of aliens can be eliminated elimi-nated by the kindly help of Auxiliary women. The war brides measure up well with any other group of women. Dr. Barrett stated. They are young, healthy women, none of them of the "flapper" type. Most of them spoke English, since their husbands, they said, would not learn to speak German. Ger-man. Dr. Barrett was interested In the attitude of the men toward returning to America. "All that I spoke to," she said, "were happy to get back home. There was a great deal of merriment mer-riment In regard to the difference between the financial standing of the soldier at home and In Germany. At the present value of the mark, the soldiers were "millionaires." As many expressed themselves, "We all feel like millionaires who have suddenly lost our fortunes." The only ones who spoke of returning to Germany were those who left their wives and children chil-dren behind and expected to return for them, she said. |