The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-08-22
Toward. war department sta

! g ". Howard, war department sta
tistician.
In other words. said Mai. How
ard. more than one third OF the men
who are recognized today as sthe
ieading soldiers OF America got their
training In -the school OF the buck
private" instead of West Point
These men are: Rrigadier Generals
Campbell King and Preston Brown
and Colonies Hjalmcr Erickson.
Richard II. Williams. Parker Hit
and Arthur l.. conger. Everyone of
them served with the American
Expeditionary Forces in France and
each was awarded the Distinguished
Service Medal.
Cavalry Private
General King began as a private
in the Fifth cavalry II years ago.
In 1902 he passed the examination
for a second lieutenant Of infantry
and went to Cuba and the Philip
pines with the First infantry In less
than a year he had been promoted
to captain, and his rise since then
has been rapid. He was chief OF
staff OF the First division in the &C.
tons near Montdidier, Scissors and
the ST Mihiel salient. and during the
battle OF the Meuse.Argonne he was
chief OF staff OF the Third corps.
General Brown enlisted in the old
Fifth artillery. and was commits
stoned a second lieutenant OF infan-
try before his enlistment had ex.
pired. He served with the Second in.
fantry in Cuba during the Spanish.
American war and later went with
the same regiment to the Philip
pines. BY 1909 he was a captain.
and he kept going up the ladder un.
I'll, during the battles OF Chateau
Thierry scissors and St Mihiel. he
was chief OF staff Of the Second
division. He comma nded the Third
division in the Meuse.Argonne often
sive.
Colonel Erickson was born in Nor
way. but became an American citi.
zen after enlisting in the sth cav.
alrdy. In 1899 he was commissioned
from the ranks in the 18th infan.
try. He was not made a captain un.
I'll 1906. but he made up for lost
time after that. and the war with
Germany found him commanding
the 2sth regiment in the vicious
fighting east OF the Aire river.
Militia Sergeant
Colonel Williams was sergeant
In the New Jersey militia when the
war with Spain broke out. He was
a1 ~ 1rRa 81 81
unteers and later was commissioned
in the regular army. He went up
grade by grade. and during the late
war he was assistant chief of staff
Of the LIST army corps and later OF
the Third army.
Colonel Hit entered the army
sergeant OF engineers in 1899.
Within year he was second lieu.
tenant. He distinguished himself in
the Philippines while serving with
the 25th infantry. receiving the Of
fetal thanks OF the navy department
for one exploit, and being cited for
bravery under fire for another. He
was signal officer of the LIST Amer.
lean army in France.
Was First Corporal
Colonel Conger went in the serv..
Ice as "A corporal In the New York
militia in the Spanish war. Four
months later he was made lieu.
tenant in the regular army and sent
to the Philippines. So many chances
came his way-and he took advan.
tage of each so well that by 1902 he
had been made "A hreyet cantain for
gallantry in action. He was a mem.
Der of the second section of Gen.
eral Pershing's staff in France.
Major Howard cited the careers of
these men each one history OF
accomplishment such as no writer Of