Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-02-06
The Real Hero "Over There" Is the One
Who Radiates Cheerfulness Regardless of
Unpleasant Conditions in Army Life
B. n. ~. ROSS,
A Californian with the American
Forces in France

By Dear
2 have been hanging around the
stove until lhaYe assimilated enough
heat 20 retreat to nav bunk for awhile.
Rv which YOU Will surmise that il
isn't as warm as it might be. Which
reminds me
An English artiucuman was dis
coursing on war to group y
American soldiers cot which was
onel the other day. He spoke with
the weight of one Who has seen three
years Of it,
"Heroes," said he Heroes o. / was
Fascinated by the way he rolled the
words There ain't any. Loastwise
your hero isn't the Brighter who rolls
ont over the Top with a bloomin,
bayonet and veil and goes after
Fritz
Well, maybe there are heroes. But
they aren't heroes any more than the
fellow who just simply goes 70 war
and sticks through it year in and
year oout and smiles and is always
ready Tor more It isn't the bloomin
gettm killed that is SO bad You
never hear anybody grousing about
that But its the way We have to
live, the come here. 20 there orders
and the grub and the whole bloomin
HE. That is what you near the kick
in about But every once in awhile
youll find a fellow that's smilin' al
the time except when he laughs. Tie
IS The real hero Of this war. One o.
his kind will keep q whole battery in
GOOD spirits and do more to win the
war than a shipoad of ammunition
Coin over TIE top isn't all there is
to this hero business II is blamed
small part Of il II only takes an
hour or TWO and a hlightt only does
1t once in while But you've 10; to
live and bear the rest of it twenty.
four hours day
This opinion from such an authori-
tatiye source, crystaized the nnbuae
Of theory had formed. Going over
the top isn't as bad as getting to the
top. Also it reminded me OF Roscoe
Alya Wilson. He is the greatest hero
| know.
Wilson is big. ret-headed buck
private and proud OF it He has a
reservoir of intrinsic wit. philoso-
ply oil fatalism. and an education and
vocabulary gained from his vacations.
which have been successfully. book.
agent. bartender waiter lin a take it
or leave it all night chop house
where the humiliation of a tip is
unknown and property man in the
movie works at Universal City, Cali.
fornia He admits that his face and
ilgure would not stand close up p
and knows that he will never make
model soldier from the West Point
viewpoint. From reform standpoint
be has few virtues. He \ smokes,
cheWs shoots craps and swears He
believes that the way to get along
"ithNlle world is to kid It.
Wilson was my squad mate over
SIX months and six thousand miles.
we slept together in a Pullman lower
across the United States, pitched dog
'ents IN thunder storm and turned
INTO a damp bed for the night some.
where in the United States, hus.
banded the makin's' across the At
lantic and ran ont simultaneously
slept on board floors, in leaky tents
en- the naked ground
He's part Irish. of course. and the
Kind Of fellow that can make any.
thing interesting ana worth while
even war He Is the fellow who ia
always encouraging the company
&c I to write a new verse to the regi
mental song telling what we're going
to do to the Kaiser and organizing
quarlette to sing it when it's done
or Is promoting a regimcutal yaudo.
vile performance for the entertain.
ment Of the Red Cross nurses at the
nearest hospital or perhaps, merely
recounting his latest humorous ad.
venture in French wine bar What
ever it is ii is good and cheering and
any depression which
might be caused by thoughts of the
folks behind and the trenches ahead.
But. the merit Of Roscoe Alya Wilson
Is all in his style and like O. Henry.
he loses seventy-ive per cent in the
retelling
| have abandoned my Omar, along
with half a dozen other "indispensa
bles' which ! started out with on ac,
count Of the restricted cubic contents
Of my "dinny' bag to which ali
soldiers mast eventually come But
recall his quatrain which begins
Some sigh for the glories of this
world and some sigh e. and
ends with an alluson to the rumble
)f the distant guns.
Upon which | desire to note that
here is duecedly little glory in this
war That is, the popular kind OF
glory There is glory aplenty
hough Of the unseen. unheraded, un.
kind over here in
France a man merely disappears into
he whirlpool of struggle and all
hat the outer world hears of him
,tter that. probabilities are, is Of his .
lwn telling and limited by stress OF
circumstances, busy days and nights 7
md the rules Of the censor Which I