The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-03-20

Lisst. Pat OBhsn. Holland when
he arrived
tnshod. unshorp and pretty much "un"
sveythine-as any recent guest OF
he Hun, would be
There I, a ligh, In his blus.gray
eyes that iayG "lrcland"
But on the cuff OF his righ, sleeve
shsre Is tiny flag that bears the Stars
end Stripes, and though he doesn't
wear bic heart on his sleeve, It's with
HSs proud he, Irish. |, Pat o'Brien,
] wonder myself who but q happy-go.
)psly Irishmsn could have gone tum-
blia0 cut Of the clouds, tobosganing
ooQ6 isss lircm Ssvenv-seeond street
y Tlmss Square Manhattan measure
ppsnt), wake up h German prison
hospital With . few Friendly" soul,
oeeblng his throat for a neat little
asds-in- -Hunhnd bullet, and be here
10 tell about Il But when they called
him Irish-Ameriean on the posters ad-
vertising his lectures, what did Pat do
but make them erase Erin's title 10
himl Why
I'm American"
SIN American; there can't be any
hyphens now" says Pat, simply Yet
when his leave is up he is going back
10 fly for England Again we chorus
exclamation points and question marks.
And here is Pats why and where
fore:
"You know a tumble like mine shakes
you up a bit. The doctors say that
when get back my lost fifty pounds,
the strayinG organ, will roam back
where they belong. But in lbe mean
time we have a pretty rigid physical ex.
animation for flying folks to pa" here
In America. So I'll stay where I'm in
already and don't have to prove my
rights to get in
HAfter my second dive, this one
through the window OF a train carry
. ing me into Germanys Heart (0, and
. my hide e-and-go-seek escape through
Holland, | finally got back to England,
met the king and ineidently the news
that was a hero and had had few
ivonths' leave presented to me. And !
lad to face the fact that Id never have
leave to fly again In France.
Good Target for Huns.
you see to send sh escaped prisoner
back to fight the Germans Is just to
give Germany little target, She knows
them when she sees them--and she
shoots them when she gets them. When
my leave 10 over they'll send me TO
Egypt to buxs around over a few Turk.
ish headi. There's = place for me yet
b the old squadron"
"You want to fly again." n asked,
thinking that one such tumble from the
| clouds as Pat had had would satisfy
most people TO leave further aviation
b swallows and eagles.
He Must Go Back.
Z The gray-blue eyes looked at me
aearchingly almost reproachiully
sWhy noii The world needs men. The
/, pen who don't feel 1t their duty to 'gC
cont seem real to me-they Just glide
I n like = panorama, a picture, not I
part Of life at ALL must 90 back tc
help. know lis the right thing for m,
- do-and | have to do what | thinl
y right, no matter how anyone else ieel
sbout II. 1t is right for me to II!
sgain,"
can visualize Pat O'Brien s,rappet
iAto the aeropiane bird-body tina
matches the ardent young soul OF him
His hair blaIes up with an almoS
eadible crackle. A black crest up
- sweeping from tan forehead; belo,
\ gray-blue eyes, wide apart, unde
Y sturdy brows that some woman wi
) eooner or later waste a lot of time o
trying to brush smooth A purpose
: ful, inquiring slim nose, whose genera
. outline carries a bit of justification 70
K hs bird-like propensities But II is
very good nose and I'm not calling il
teaki A sensitive, thin-lipped mout
under little red-brown moustaehe tha
eamouflages the scar Of the bullet tina
ipllcd him And then six feet-two Q
slim boy-man-bird extending down I
sarthl
y Man and Fighter.
THAT'S how Pat looks--super dread
nueht in the upper part Of his face an
y Dleasufc yacht from the lips down
Man and fighter; friend and lover.
And this is how Pat is: English as /
= inform. Irish az to smile, but so hon
eetly American as to heart that on
ellies will know they have a Bit of tn
GDifit Of "all-Ameriea" when they wei
GDne him back.
have heard Srumofs-of course
I. 0et believe then.---that some Of ou
IN are seeking exemption on physic,
pounds But this is the first time
~ discovered q lad seeking exemJ
I. - from his physical grounds" P;
0Drlen might not get by the medic;
keord and IN the American aviatic
ooyiee- e--and that is why he wears II
uollofm Of good old England.
II Was dreaming himself back int
- 61ys Of bis old squadron Of Il
&HC ~ ~ day met him and looI
~ &eUns1 b the . o'clock train
7oReato which he CALAMITY assured n
~ ~ oniy thing that he need punct,
y ~ M 4 period, the chat we began
961tf& AAd I felt very unwortl
X - fsplied simply and unaffected
Go1e<ioa sboA the lecture | SUI
y - Ecins to deliver in T,