The Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 191?-19??, 1919-09-03
. THE BODIES OF OUR DEAD

Parents and other relatives of so
diers and sailors who lost their live
r in the recent war may as well under
4 stand, first as last, that the War DE-
4 partment intends to discourage a
efforts to return home the bodies o
! Americans who were killed or die
' in the war and were buried in France
: The Senators and Representative
3, are receiving many communication
from parents Of soldiers asking tina
the bodies of their sons be sent HON,
for final interment In many IN
stances these letters were written II
very insistent tones. Pathetic recit.
ais Of mothers who are grieving theii
lives out because the remains of their
sons are so far away are contained
! In some of the letters.
Not long after the United States
entered the late war the war depart
ment announced that it would be its
policy to bring back to the United
States the bodies of American sold
iers which were buried abroad, pro-
vided the nearest relative requested
their return.
1t is explained now that that at that
the department could not foresee the
large number that would be killed
nor realize the conditions that would
surround their hasty burial on OF
near the field of battle nor the .obstac-
les in the way of bringing home the
remains.
To be entirely plain about it, the
war department is now exceedingly
opposed to bringing the bodies home
and this view is shared by the mill
tary leaders from Gen. Pershing
down the line. 1t is realized that the
promise of the department is out and
will have to be complied
with, but the department will 60 as
far as it can to dissuade parents I
from making the request for the re. {
turn of the remains of their loved |
ones. i ~u
The department feels that is can
not be as frank as it would like to
be in explaining why it wishes TO
avoid sending home the bodies. It's
objection is not based at all on finan-
cial reasons, although the expense
would be great. The condition of the :
bodies is the principal reason. In the
nature of things, when fatalities were
coming so fast, many of the bodies
we're buried in trenches without en-
There were no coAins at
first and most of the fallen soldiers
Of the expeditionary forces were bur :,
led as they fell. In the operation of
the laws of nature the bodies, in a
great many instances, would now be
decomposed and unacceptable. IT. T,
is the unanimous belief of army Off
GERS and war department officials :,
hat parents and relatives of soldiers
could not be restrained from open 7,
ng the collins when they were sent :
nome and the effect, as they see it, :
would be depressing in the extreme. ,
In an official announcement on the f
80, sc, the war department says:
"For the bodies that are to remain T
in France the United n
States Government will undoubtedly
provide cemeteries of "AmericanI S
Field of Honor" They will be main
tanned and cared for always by the E
American government. The Frenchl
government has considerably offered I
TO cede several tracts of land for this
purpose. One of them, at Romagne- A
;ous-Montfancon, is in the heart of
he Meuse-Argonne battlefield. An N
'ther is near the city of Paris, upon Ct
he slopes of Mount Valerien, over
ooking the pretty town of Suresnes,
he valley of the Seine and the Bots
lu Boulounge. No more beautiful T
ste could be imagined. The munich n
'ality of Paris has already construct h
ed a beautiful highway called Boule- o
Yard Washington, connected the lat
ter cemetery with the French capt.
5al"