Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-10-25
BELGIUM IS
UNSHAK]l',E]E)N IN
FOUR YEARS
Captain +. 7. Colby Who
Served With King Albert
Tells Of Heroism.

Tells OF Heroismrl.
New York, oct. 2s.-lseck from
Belgium with four years of service in
iKingAxAlbert's army. OF a quarter mill
non veterans. Captain Francis Tool
by, son Of Read Admiral H. g. @. Col
BY, U. S.. N, has returned convinced
that America should retain compul-,
sorry military service after the q
Three decorations for bravery quail
~ Captain Colby for respectful atten-
ton. Z,
Before the war I was in favor OF
compulsory military service In the
Cnited States" he said the other day
in the Harvard club while awaiting
train to- Washington, where he be-
comes the military attacheto the Bel
gian military mission, ''and I am now
more insfavors Of It and it's continu-
ance than ever. I believe that the
army has two purposes dsnot one.
THE first, purpose Is the defeat Of
the education of the people, an edu-
cation which is supplementary and
equal in value to that gained in our
admirable system Of public schools.
There can be no comparison in the
character and development, both
mental and physical, Of the citizen
who has been trained to military SER
vice under good and scholarly officers
who are themselves representative Of
Captain Colby himself got his AGA
demic schooling at Harvard and his
military training, or the beginning OF
it., in the NewoYork National Guard.
Two Of Colby's old organizations
Squadron A, (now, worse luck, muddy
machine gunners) and the I'd Field
Artillery-are over there in Flanders
with the 9th Division and-well,
you've read about that fight at Mont
there are such things as big game ex-
petitions to Alaska, India, and Cen
trail Africa if Captain Colby could be
persuaded to talk about them.
Aug. 1, 1914. found Colby and Sam
uel Thorhe, Jr., practicing law some
where downtown. That is to say, the
morning of Aug. !, did; the evening
found Colby's desk rolled down, start
ing a four years rest, while the young
Sandy Hook, going over. Credentials
appointing an observer of ordnance
Tor the government, credentials issued
at the special request of this state,
had arrived, and the observer was de-
termined TO be there at the start of
things or not at all. In the .e%agerness
to get over, Colby had overlooked a
broken leg suffered while playing
polo with Troop e team of the squa-
dron, and while this wasn't a hold
back here, there was no getting to the
: front with it. =,
Autumn came along, however, and
. then Colby raised and commanded an
ambulance company with subscrip-
tons raised here and in Boston, With
the ambulance he Joined the Belgian
Army and was soon afterward COM
missioned in the regular artillery in
Flanders. He has since served with
the Belgians in light and heavy ar
tillery, cavalry, and motor transport:
and has at odd times been assigned on
detached duty with, the British
French and italian forces.
Specially Interesting just now, when
the Belgians are doing their share to-
ward dispelling that gray mist
which the late Richard Harding Davis
vasion. is Captain Colby's remarks on
the morale of the b~attle-scarred Bel
gian army. Perhaps it hasn't occur
red to you that the Belgian force is
re only all-veteran army vel there
now; there were no Kitchener vol
untrers nor National army me- to
swell the ranks of the defenders Of
Belgium-you can't get recruits when
the Boche holds your country and
sends all men Of military usefulness
as slaves into Germany.
There is scarcely a man Of he 50,-
900 in King Albert's force that hasn't
two, three, or four years service
tchevrons on his left sleeve. And you
don't have to be a military man<to
know that your soldier with the Ser
vice chevron, and mayhap a Valor
Cross, fights in a Chateau-Thierry sort
of a manner. At M time, said Cap
tain Colby, have the Belgian soldiers
seen anything but victory in. the end.
pierre or George may have been
downcast at times, but these sturdy
little Belgian soldiers could not ever
think for a second Of defeat while the
enemy stood in their beloved home
land" said Captain Colby.
Aside of the Belgian army that
heretofore has been little touched on
by overseas observers was emphasiz-
ed as most important by the captain,
This is the mechanical genius Of the
average Belgian, his exceeding handi-
ness with tools. Along the sands OF
the little strip of seacoast the Bel
CLANS held when Cobb. left them, the
deft hands Of the soldiers had built
row after row Of munitions factories
They had constructed gun works, sad
VIZ AoSsoA AOo,y oAAORS p AOTtSASWSdtAl
cloth. and had even built shops where
the broken wheels Of Belgian artillery
we're replaced. Fighting hard in the
front lines, other soldiers operated
the buildings, till nov the Belgian ar
tillery makes its own guns, fires not q
ehell that isn't Belgian made-from
shoe to cap the Belgian soldier wears
things his fellow soldiers have made
While in France. serving on q
French divisional staff to learn the
methods, the CAPTAIN ran across some
ofsthe officers from q New York di-
vision. the 18th, and was much i'm.
pressed with their soldiery1 appear
rance. while a single glance was sufl'
seient to attest the excellent quality Of
the troops America has sent. In re
gard to the italian army, with which
he has recently served. he declared
the morale was Of the highest. and tn,
troops as regards technical ability
and training, were frst-class.
ADVERTISEMENT.
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