Evening star., 1919-03-31

AZ its coming session. Congress is ex-
etcd to make suitable provision for
SsaUkessembly and final disposition OF
1e nodes of about 10000 American SOL
iers who made the supreme sacrifice in
ne cause of humanity or the battle
elds of France. Indications are that
revision will be made for the return
4 bodies to the United States for burial
ear their homes, wherever such action
7s desired by parents or near. relatives,
nd also for the care and preservation
:. the sacred soil selected as the per
1anent resting places of the bodies of
he other heroes. near where they made
heir last gallant stand against the
sneuy-.
Although the War Department has
made tentative plans for the return
home Of the bodies desired, it is the be-
lief of the authorities that a great ma
ioyity OF the heroic dead will continue
TO rest on foreign soil, so far as possible
IN cemeteries owned and controlled by
the United States.
Progress in Assembling Bodies.
Reports received at the War Depart
Ilent show that the American expedi-
/ ionery forces already have made good
progress in assembling their dead com.
-adeS together, that in death they may
Re as they were in life-in serried rank.
shoulder 10 shoulder comrades in fact
80 wei as in name. About 1000 SOL
siiers attached to what is .Snown as the
raves registration service" Of the
mat vast and difficult task. That part
of the work is reported to be we'll in
hand From frozen dusouts, from old
] uins, from those hastily improvised and
now sunken openings in the ground that
were shell holes and battle graves, from
knoll. from all Of the thousands of
places of isolation and great loneliness
the dead are being tenderly lifted and
oFne to take their places in the Or
{ cred ranks of the Army.
Details by A. E. F. Newspaper.
Details of these operations are con-
aimed in a recent issue OF the stars
and Stripes, the official organ OF Gen.
pershings sallant fighting men, IN IN
dcrsed and made public at the war
Department. There Is nothing spec
/ ocular in the work of tine soldiers OF
the graves registration service, says
Z ne report in the stars AID stripes.
nothing with the thrill Of the heroic
= Hu no dulIClpdtioh VI opf.N'
up old graves, often being
forced to wear gas masks prying IN
cid dugouts and she'll holes, search
ing bodies for some mark OF Identity.
e arrying the remains to the nearest
burying, marking and re-
sorting them-there is not great
q cal in this service to allure or. SEEM
Sngly, to inspire
"Yst story after story is going the
: ounds of how this little group here
or that little group there not only did
. n they were told to do and all that
Was expected of them. but actually
ahead and added those touches that
they knew would comfort and please
the people at home.
'For example, there was a little
group who gathered together, iden-
fified and buried more than q thou
sand isolated bodies at Ploisy, on the
rAisne The graves were marked on
in the regulation plots of 20s each
a nd graded and marked with crosses.
blue-prints of the graves
REGISTRATION service were laid on.
And. 90 far as the Army was con-
cefned, the job was done.
Csmstery Is Fenced In.
But these soldiers would not have
II. So They went through pile after
pile Of salvage and found a lot OF
iron rails: they begged or borrowed
cement from the neighboring region.
ana nut a fence of concrete and
iron around that little cemetery.
Then they searched in the nearby
wood for the tallest, straightest tree
in All that region, cut it down, stripped