Gilpin observer., 1917-10-04
HAS ITS own
FOREIGN LEGION
Mixture Of NationaIities in Amer
san Company in France.
MAKE WELL-DR,LLED SQUAD


| One swede and One Norwegian,
Headed by an Irish DriIImaster-
Sergeant Make Up. the company's
Jacobs Coat.
i Company - of the - regiment
infantry, Of the American Expedition
ary Force, has a Foreign Legion of its
own. Two Russians, two Greeks, one
Turk, one Swede and Norwegian,
headed by an Irish drillmaster7ser-
geant, make up the company's Jacob's
coat.
None Of the seven can speak Eng
lish sufficiently well to drill with the
company. Accordingly, Sergeant Muir
ply each day leads his squad to its
own little parade grounds underneath
some wide-spreading trees, and puts
them through their PAGES.
"Sure they're nothin' to brag about
when only talk to them," said the
sergeant, "but when show them
what's to be done, faith. sir, there's
not a quicker set of lads in the whole
company. I'm not braggin' mind you,
but I'm only sayin' they're as fine a
drilled squad as General Pershing has
with him today.
"Take salutin', for instance. Some
of these fresh rockies, just because
! once in a while they mistake one of
you soldierly lookin' correspondents
for an officer, and come to a neat
salute, and some grizzly old campaign
er gives them a merry ha ha, they
crouch about for day or more and
salute no one. Then along comes the
colonel in his auto and these bright
young boys don't even deign to notice
him and the company gets the devil
in the morning.
Play II Safe.
"But these lads of mine, they say:
What difference does it make anyhow,
if you waste salute or two let's play
/ it safe, and so everyone who comes
strolling along, be it one of our long
cared friends from Missouri or a per-
fectly sweet little French lady, or even
the general himself sure it's heels at
attention they are with as fine mill
tary salute as any bloomin' Prussian
ever gave the war lord.
my from Oshkosh look sharp is when
one of these French instructors tells
us in machine-fire French just what we
are to do and why. No one under
stands him, but the seven tribes seem
to sense the meaning and are the frs.
to catch any new trick the Frenchics
teach us.
"And they're learning English fast.
Yesterday heard Mike. the Greek, tell
Milwaukee corporal, Run aft
yourself. Me prOuder shinea the shoe
than make up German beer in de bot.
Amt dot your job at the brewery?'
'This is the same boy who when he
passed an officer on the street the first
day after we had landed didn't know
enough to salute, and the officer halted
him and said, My man, how long have
you been in the serviceY Mike pulled
himself together as best he could and
smilingly. replied, Tomorrow Sure,
he didn't have an idea what the man
was asking him."
No one can explain how the men
eyer were able to pass the recruiting
officer with their meagre knowledge Of
English except that in the heat of the
recruiting campaigns all was consid-
| cred fish that came into the net.
There are numbers of men in the
expeditionary force who have higher
sense of patriotism than they have
knowledge of the English language.
One of the Russian giants whose
unpronounceable name has been soft
ened by his messmates to "Kansky"
gave me as clear a reply to my ques-
| ton, "Why are you over here fight
! ing in the American army?" as l re-
ceived in the entire division.
Why He Fights.
Cropping slowly for his words. he
said: II came to America seeking n
liberty and freedom that was denied
me in my own country. found it the
first day I landed In New York. 1t
became the breath of my life. I got
away from Russia after the war start
ed. I could see no difference between
n czar and kaiser. There was moth
Ing I wanted to fight for.
"But when America was forced into
the struggle I saw 1t had finally mar
rowed itself down to what President
Wilson pronounced 1t. question
whether democracy or autocracy
should rule the world. My life has
been a longing for personal liberty.
had finally tasted Of II. / knew its
sweetness and Its value. I was ready
to fight so that generations to come
might have the opportunity to enjoy
It unmolested. America must tri-
umph II the world Is to 60 forward
and upward"
The ring Of the missionary was in
his voice; It vibrated with suppressed
Intensity. His Language was the talk
Of books. He had chiseled II out Of