Show american legion buddies still carrying 2 on for pals of world war by C 0 11 it was just two months before christmas 1917 1 I was sitting by the fireplace with the youngsters by my side telling them of their daddy over there what wonderful things lie he was doing and yet what suffering lie had veen been called upon to bear ile he was in fit the hospital four times each time lie he got well weil anil and back on the job I 1 told them just what kind of a life I 1 imagined it to be we were looking forward to the time when he would be home with us all again the children aid a prayer for him and climbed u upstairs and into their little beds I 1 stalked ii to write a letter to our loved one I 1 had written only to lines when a loud knock came at the door it was a tale taleS rani ram saying kl pat lewis AV chapman of company Coni pany C ath engineers had been killed in action oh ch what a moment I 1 kept it from the children lor for three days then I 1 broke te gad ead news it made us its tha most unhappy group time went on with christmas christinas near at hand with joy we used to have fixing what little we had to make a meny Chris taimi for the kid kiddies dios I 1 put in fit a claim for the ingui insurance ance I 1 was entitled dentith 3 d to then christmas day was upon 1 the l lie got up tip to see ahat hat santa claus has left them what in an unhappy look on their little faces and what a feeling in my heart just then we heard sol someone neone whistle we all listened it came nearer and nearer some one at th door tle the children and I 1 opened tile the loot door we believe our ryes there stood their dear da baldy lal ady dy christmas seventeen years ago low how few of us stop to think of I 1 the contrast abt as portrayed here 1 chis I his is a true story that won a prize in a big moment contest sponsored by the american legion Christ christinas aias fourteen years ago a soldier could expect presents inches no larger to be enjoyed in fit a mud hole hoie entertaining coolies and rats suffering going in n continually and stealing their dearci to lo hate in order to inflict a worse calamity on the enemy A picture not be be rel relieved levied by tolling telling or forgotten by oversee over see ing the suffering still going on remember the heatless su suar arlesa lasa days the anxious hard boiking Noi 01 king lonesome days for those at home would we trade a depression christmas for a 1817 one today the ideals and alms aims of american legion are embodied in our preamble to constitution which is as follows for god cod and country we WC a associate ourselves together for fol the following purposes I 1 to uphold and defend the con of tire the united states stales of america to it maintain I 1 aint a 1 n 1 law IN v and order to foster and perpetuate a one hundred per cent americanism Is 11 to preserve the memories and incidents incident of our association during the tha great war to inculcate a bense of individual obligation to the community state and nation to combat the autocracy ot of both the tha classes and the masses to make ma ce ri krisht ait the master of might to promote note peace and good will on earth to cate safeguard guard and transmit to posterity th tho principles of justice freedom an and democracy to participate in and to contribute to the accomplishment of the aims and purposes of the american lesion to consecrate and sanctity sanctify our association by our devotion to ingual helpfulness 11 A careful reading of this will show eliat a large scope it covers it is non pai and non politician ican no creed is favored or rejected and no man can hold a political office to no matter he how small and expect tile the honor honoret of a lioon otice tice to help preserve the incidents incident or of the war was partly accomplished in it the above mentioned contest and are arc usually musing amusing a aill using exciting or glad latmer than the horror they could be capeis nil aily of accomplishments of some legion post in their efforts to live up tip to their preamble the ranks of the veterans are thinning fast U S veteran hospitals are admitting thousands thou of new cases every year clr the price the boys were asked to pay is still being paid in greater increasing numbers the death is higher in ex service s men than in ili normal statistics yet we dont complain or ask favors 1 we dont ask tor for ourselves but ar er arryl ng on for the aid of those still idill suffering and in need many a soldier pledged himself to ro take care of a dying comrades far family lilY bow lie he finds himself separated by several states from them he takes upun upon himself the ug uge ge task to see that no ex ser vice man or family is in need truly a wonderful brotherhood ot of peace time service Ws we embrace tile the truth that wo ro are arc our brothers keeper just now the major job for the legion is this u unemployment nen problem to more than a million legionnaires this crisis is no vague problem in abstract sociology to them it is bill jones who used to work in the alato repair shop on center street and P fred red brown who once kept books at robinsons hardware store and is willing oh so willing to do it again bill was as a nachine machine gunner in 1918 and lid r fred 1 I in fit service but that matter time and again the american legion has given proof ot of its ability to cope with any local emergency in tile the day of tire fire and flood of sudden numbing overwhelming wh elming disaster the legion posts of different parts has repeatedly peat e a t e edly d I 1 Y been e n t the h e f first I 1 r s t e element I 1 e n t in ben isn in t the h e c community 0 u n i t y I 1 life i t to 0 x rise e t to 0 the crisis and take effective charge of the situation until the great resources ot of outside agencies could be mobilized the legion is already playing a major part in unemployment relief relict this winter in a great majority of places our legion is newly organized but is carrying on with a willing shoulder to the wheel of very every worthy movement well add our bit to help old man depression into the gutter all pulling together throughout the U S A of course we can do it we will brag on one thing having been through more suffered more and witnessed case d greater trials are gladly willing to help every good work along to sponsor pi ejects for the benefit of communities and fight to put over in our nation laws that will help insure peace buddies it is a glorious privilege vi to join the legion lasting frend friendships ships made during 1917 ay 1 were not meant to end w with I 1 it h separation join in with your former bundies bankics and meet in conventions tion a it if possible if not have the happiness of knowing that your bour hands are clasped around the world yes around the world fort for this is just one member of the legion our allies and former enemies are also members there is the chapter which is made up of representatives from all different legions of every nation to take our thoughts back again to fourteen years ago here is another war incident by john 11 thacher the touch of nature I 1 cant forget that liberty loan poster that hung in our dugout A hulking german brute pursuing women with dripping red swords typified our notion or of the jer ries then armistice day A party of us exploring the trenches dead men lying around everywhere all the grim debris of battle battie teelie hours ago our infantry had been mauled hauled in a frontal a assault and the casualties had been heavy tx tex jones popped his head out of a german dugout and callea for a gun had forgotten the war was over and wanted some prisoners we climbed down and there they were just kids younger than we expected pale thin underfed kind of seared scared yet glad to see us friendly too in a bashful way when we snag snagged gedan an I 1 old helmet they would replace it with a brand new brew one gave us their coarse black bread grinned showed us around pointed out it a machine gun post with piles ot of empty cartridges showed us a lane 1 a n e where w he re they h e y had bad mowed us u taa d down n W wo talked k e d it over I 1 like ike a football game told them it waa a dandy place for or their gun one 0 of us hummed a german nursery song they yelled and made him sing it all through want us to leave loaded us up with souvenirs in short it was like a a reunion of buddies who had been separated for years As we came back there was old glory streaming over fort de tavannes havannes Ta vannes our hard bitten top looked up at it tor for a moment and grunted somehow all over the world folks biks is just folks |