The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1918-05-11

machine in flames perhaps, realizes
as he nears his home grounds that, officially. he
has nothing to show for his prowess. The great
day is still afar of-the day when his fellow air
men, already arrived at the "ace" stage, will well
come him as one of themseives-when his relatives
and friends at home, and all the world, indeed, will
recognize that he is q fighting aviator of France,
out of the amateur class forever.
Lieut.. Constant Soulier, known as the "Ben-
Jamin" of the French aces, who has come to this
country to show the people of the United States
just what the lighting airmen of France are able
to do in the way of flying, like most Of the other
great French airmen, found that winning the lace"
was not the task of a day, but he won it, although
1t took the bringing down of u machines actually
before the coveted official" five were marked to
ms credit says a writer in the New York Herald.
lie does not look Ike a veteran of the western
front, this hero Of many air battles. He seems
much more like a pleasant little military schoolboy.
lie is small, with an amazingly youthful face, and
although he is serious and dignifed, 1t Is with the
dignity and seriousness of a boy, such as is quite
in keeping with his simple and traiebtforward
manner.
But on the breast of this modest. boyish vounp
officer CLEAN medals which speak eloouently of
extraordinary valor-the Medaille Militaire. the
Croix de la Virtu Militaire of Roumania and the
Croix de Guerre of France with seven palms and
q golden star.
These honors the little ace>earned before he was
twenty years old, for before that time he had
accomplished 430 hours of flight. had fought 6e
battles in the air, had killed or wounded n score
of enemy aviators and had brought down Is enemy
machines. His citations in orders and in special
government communications cover two closely
typewriter pages.
A student at the Ecole Polytechnic in Paris
when the war began, Constant Soulier found n
impossible at first to enter the service of his conn
try as a volunteer, as he was not considered in
sufticiently good health by the military authorities.
AlGO hn NToS hut ant roo.z -
however, he succeeded in overcoming these obiec.
lions and became a volunteer in the artillery. He
was placed In the Twenty-first regiment at An
gouleme.
But while in the artillery training camp, like so
many very young patriots, he became intensely
interested in the new arm of the service. He felt
keenly that his vocation was not for the artillery
but that he must become an airman. He suc-
ceeded In persuading the authorities to transfer
him to the aviation corps and became a student
at the school at Longvic. He was transferred to
Pau In March, 1916, and two months afterward
obtained the coveted brevet of pilot. He had
studied d~evotedly at the school and was a notably
promising aviator cadet.
While at the school he was much liked nv the
older men, and one day an episode occurred
which pleased them greatly. Young Soulier found
his machine taken in the eddy of another air
plane which was flying over him. He was blown
to the earth with violence. His machine was
broken to pieces, and the witnesses of the acct.
dent, without waiting to investigate, Immediately
sent In a call for a medical officer.
Imagine their amaZement when they saw the
student aviator issue from the debris of his ma
chine without a scratch.
There are no more superstitious people any
where than the men of the aviation corps of all
the armies.
And 1t was after this episode that the older
aviators declared to one another that he was born
to triumph.
The flying school training was followed by a
course at the school Of mitrailleurs at Cazeau
In June, 1916, Soulier was appointed to the Es-
cadrille N-26, under Commandment Brocard.
The aviator remembers always his first engage
ment, for no matter how extensive his practice has
been at the school 1t takes different personal quail.
tiles to enable a man to hold his own against the
enemy. No matter how well he may have done
in practice, 1t is felt that the actual test of the
~aviator's ability must come in battle.
Soulier had no easy task in his first engage
ment.
was ordered on patrol. Soon they were envel
oped in clouds, but as they came out of this snowy
bank they were for the first time in the presence
of the enemy. They were confronted by two
Fokkers, which were at that time considered very
much to be feared.
Soulier opened fire. but his mitrailleuse was not
firmly fastened In place, and with the first fire II
shifted, striking him in the head and almost knock
ing him out by the shock. But he held his own
plotting with one hand and with the other try
ing to hold his mitrailleuse in place. Although
the gun struck him with each discharge, he wai
able to keep. in the fight until the adversary, hi
cartridges exhausted. abandoned the fight. Thu
French airmen then regained their lines.
Some time after this Soulier, who had ther
become n sergeant. brought down in two success
siye DAYS two German Drachens, one at the WOO
of Yuux and the other east of Mesnl Saint-Nibaise