The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1917-11-10
HAS ITS own
foreign LEGION
Mixture Of NationaIities in Amer
lean Company in France.
MAKE WELL. SQUAD
Two Russians, Two Greeks, One Turk,
One swede and One Norwegian,
Headed by an Irish Drillmaster-
Sergeant Make Up the company's
Jacobs Coat.

Company - Of the - regiment
Infantry, Of the American Expedition
airy Force, has Foreign Legion of it's
own. Two Russians, two Greeks, one
| Turk, one Swede and Norwegian,
headed by an Irish drllmaster-ser-
geant, make up the company's Jacobs
coat.
None OF the seven can speak Eng
fish 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 nothln' 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 braggln' mind you.
but I'm only sayin' they're as fine a
drilled squad as General Pershing has
with him today.
"Take salutln', for instance Some
Of these fresh rockies, just because
| plCc Ill WHilt thty IUiStuht Out VI
you soldierly lookin correspondents
for an officer and come to a neat
salute, and some grizzly old campaign
er gives them 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 delgn to notice
him and the company gets the devil
In the morning.
Play II Safe.
"But these lads of mine, they sayp
What difference does 1t make anyhow,
If you waste salute or two; let's play
1t safe, and so everyone who comes
strolling along, be 1t one Of our long
cared friends from Missouri or a per,
fectly sweet little French lady, or eve.
the general himself, sure It's heels at
attention they are with as fine a mill
tary salute as any bloomin' Prussian
ever gave the war lord.
"And where they make smart SAM
my from Oshkosh look sharp Is when
one Of these French instructors tells
us In machine-fire French just what we
I uT0 W W. anu RNo OuC uhbCh~
stands him, but the seven tribes seem
to sense the meaning and are the first
to catch any new trick the Trenches
teach US.
"And they're learning English fast,
Yesterday heard Mike. the Greek, tell
Milwaukee corporal, Run aftc-
yourself. Me prouder shinea the shoe
| Than ,noka m Iormop hoar In do hot
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 serviceT 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
ever 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 tho American armyf" as l re-
ceived In the entire division.
| Why He Fights.
Cropping slowly for his words, he
said: II came to America seeking o
liberty and freedom that was denied
me In my own country. found 1t the
first day I landed In New York. II
became the breath Of my life. got
away from Russia after the war start
ed. could see no difference between
car 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 autocYacy
| SHOulu Iui0 tho WoAiu. my AAiC uo0
been a longing for personal liberty.
had finally tasted Of 1t. knew its
sweetness and It's value. I was ready
to fight SO that generations to come
might have the opportunity to enjoy
1t unmolested. America must tri-
umph II the world Is to 60 forward
and upward"
The ring of the missionary was In
his voice; 1t vibrated with suppressed
intensity. His language was the talk
of books. He had chiseled 1t out of
laborious reading. Better educated
than his six fellows In arms, he was
daily teaching them the rudiments of
English grammar and American his.
tory.
Kansky is of the stuff that heroes
are made. He is fighting for an ideal
that Is tangible and concrete to him.
He will Ego over the top" some day