The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-05-10
D. 5. N. AWARDS ARE
NOT TOO NUMEROUS
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT MUCH
MORE NIGGARDLY IN GIVING
OUT HoNoRs THAN FRANCE.
LATEST LIST FROM PERSHlNG
Public Will Never Know Adequately
About the Remarkable Accomplish
ments of Such Men as General Jad-
win and Colonel Wilmer.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.


list of the most recent awards of dis
service medals made by the
military board of the American expe-
dictionary force which decides on mat
tiers of merit.
There Is long list of the men who
hereafter will wear the ribbon of dis
tinguished service, but long though 1t
may be, it is brevity itself compared
with the list Of awards made by the
French military authorities to their
own men and to individual soldiers Of
the allies who have won French re-
gard and recognition.
Someone in the city of Washington
recently said that distinguished serv-
ice medals are getting common. This
is way beside the truth. The Amer
lean government is rather niggardly
In giving out its honors. If 1000 dis
tinguished service medals are award
ed, what does this mean when 1t is
remembered that 100000 American
soldiers were striving to do their duty
and something beyond it in the fields
Of France?
When the American public reads a
list Of the men who have been marked
for distinguished service medals 1t
probably will be surprised at the num-
Der Of names of ranking officers con-
corning whom they heretofore have
heard little or nothing. This war has
been a war with the suppression Of
names. With the exception of a few
army officers of the highest rank the
country has been allowed to know vir-
tually nothing of the personality of
the men who have been doing COM
handing work in France. 1t is not
like this in the French army.
General Jadwin's Work at Gievre.
How many Americans know about
the town of Gievre In France? Two
years ago Gievre was about the size
of q walnut shell. Today it is huge
town built almost overnight by an
American engineer, Brig. Gen. Edgar
Jadwin, who distinguished himself
some years ago by constructive work
on the Isthmus in connection with VIII.
liam L. Sibert and David du Bose Gall
lard. who respectively built the Gatun
locks. dam and spillway, and dug
the Culebra cut.
In the list of men who won the dis
tinguished service medals appears the
name of 'E. Jadwin." This is all that
there Is about the matter. OF course
In the citation which gives General
Jadwin his distinguished service medal
the details of his work are set forth
but this does not get to the people
any more than 1t does in the cases OF
scores of others.
Jadwin built Gievre, the great Amer
lean depot, and he did 1t so quickly
and so well that the American forces
had a base bigger perhaps than anJ
other base In history, and one from
which supplies could be handled quick
ly, thus making 1t possible to wiz
battles quickly.
What Colonel Wilmer Did for Flying
Another army officer whose name
means little or nothing perhaps t.
most people is William b. Wilmer
colonel and medical officer, American
expeditionary forces. Physicians know
about Colonel Wilmer, for he is ont
Of the most noted oculists In the world
Here is an American who gave up {
tremendous practice to enter the army
as a major. 1t was his thorough
knowledge Of optics, II that is the
proper word. which enabled him t,
understand the psychology of aviator,
and 50 to apply his knowledge as t,
decrease materially the number of fly
ing accidents In the schools at France
Pilots and observers In scores ow,
their immunity from accident and er
ror to the data collected by this Amer
lean doctor, who by the way lives II
the city of Washington and is nov
getting his one line In the public re
ports for the life-saving work which
he did In France.
Running through the list of men VIII,
have been given the distinguish,
service medal, II is found that tn
board of officers which passes OF
questions of merit seemingly has don
its work well. The pity is perhap
that the American public never vii
know anything at all adequate abou
the sacrifices to duty made by tn
officers who have been singled out +
wear the ribbon and the badge. How
ever, they probably are not complain
ing. because they did their work wei
and are satisfied with the conscious
ness of the fact.
Army HumlIiated by Mutiny.
Army officers In Washington ar
chagrined and Inundated at the new
of the mutiny of company of Amer
lean soldiers on the North Russia
front. 1t is q safe assumption tina
unless some kind of pacif1st pat-then
on-the-back influences shall preva
the men who refused to fight will &c
what military sense dictates that the
should get.
The last word which has come {
this city is to the effect that the teach
ings of one man were responsible 70
the trouble. There seems to be