New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
pershing Did Not
Il all Any Need

These men cut the old crcumlocution Off
cial habit, which had been the clog to de
partmental wheels since time out of mind
and replaced it with direct personal re-
sponsibility, which gave quick action and
demonstrated the mans fitness for his job.
1t was General Pershing's way to pick the
best from among those at his disposal and
then put the job up to him.
"No man shall stay his job here in
France" he once said to me, "who doesn't
make good, whether he wears bars or stars"
And that was the keynote of the A. E. F.
the explanation of its efficiency and speed
and achievement. A man had to make good
give way for one who could. Unquestion-
ably Pershing revealed administrative abil-
ity of high order and not the least of his
strength was his fores ightedness and his
choice Of counsel.
1t will be helpful l think, in showing Gen.
era Pershing's spirit and attitude toward
his soldiers and the French to quote here
one or two of his brief but eloquent ad-
dresses.
At the French ceremonies at the tomb of
Lafayette in 1917, where the French speak
ers were brilliant and exhaustive, as only
French orators can be, the general, when
called upon, stepped forward and laying his
wreath upon the tomb said with simple and
dramatic effect: "Lafayette, we have GOMEZ"
That was all; and it was the most eloquent
speech of the occasion.
When a goodly number Of our prospective
army had reached France he sent them the
following message:
Hardship will be your lot but trust in
God will give you comfort; temptation will
befal you, but the teachings of our Saviour
will give you strength. Let your valor as a
soldier and your conduct as a man be an
inspiration to your comrades and an honor
to your country"
After Chateau Thierry he addressed
them through an order of the day in which
he said:
"You arrived on the field of battle in
decisive hour for the cause of the Allies;
you gave to those brave Allies more than
that support to which we were pledged as
nation and have we'll earned the
full praise of our allies and the gratitude
of our fellow countrymen."
And March 2S, 1918, he offered the
American troops to General Foch in the fol-
lowing words:
Il come to say to you that the American
people would hold it great honor for our
troops were they engaged in the present
battle. | ask it of you in my name and in
that Of the American people.
There is at this moment no other oues-
ton than that of fighting. Infantry, artil-
lery aviation-all that we have are yours to
dispose Of them as you will Others are
coming which will be as numerous as will
be necessary. | have come to say to YOU
that the American people would be proud to
/ be engaged in the greatest battle in his
tory"
i The A. f. F. had to begin substantially at
the bottom to lay the foundation for the
landing, transporting, feeding and muntion-
ing of an army of 100000; and if you will
keep in mind that five tons of shipping is
: the required estimate for every man landed,
three men reckoned on to maintain one man
IN line, ninety days reserve supplies to be
accumulated before the thirty days rations
which must be received and sent forward
every month, the size of the task may be
better understood
FIRST they divided France for A. E. F. pur-
poses into an advance, an intermediate and
SIX base sections, and having located the
depot or storage and distributing stations
there was the job of preparing the ports to
handle the rising food of men, food, ma
terials and of establishing lines of COM
municaton from the bases to the interior
sections and to the front.
They had to build docks at which to
land; great warehouses throughout the
eight sections to hold the supplies of food
clothing material; cold storage plants big
enough and numerous enough to hold meat
rations by the shpload; shops where loco