The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-05-30
Brought Great Benefits in Many
Ways to Soldiers; Improved Both
Mind and Body; Americanized
Them on Battlefield and in Camp

st. Louis, May 30.--In wagin
their wonderful fight on the fields {
France to help make the world sal
for democracy, the boys of the Amer
lean Expeditionary Forse develope
some remarkable qualities of char
acter that must needs be preserve
for the benefit bf our nation in tn
opinion of Lieut.. Col. .Theodor
Roosevelt, Jr.
| went to Lieut.. Col. Roosevelt
and asked him just what qualities tn,
war developed in our troops as h,
himself leading his men, watched
them come into being under the ter
rife shock of battle.
1T was a great experience, and
would not have missed it for the
world-watching the fine reaction the
American character showed to exper-
fences over there" declared the col
onel, his eyes lighting in true Roose-
yeltian style "and / am mighty glad
to be able to relate some of the in
spring things that came under my
observation.
The. first effect the war had on our
troops in France, as / saw it," said
the colonel, was its Americanizing
erect. When the boys entered the
army they were of many traditions,
but when they got into the thick of
things on the other side they were
straight Americans and nothing else,
The metamorphosis was as astonish-
ing as it was gratifying.
The regiment I commanded was
particularly good for study, for it was
really a little cross section of the
whole United States. 1t contained not
only men from every state in the
Union but from every walk of civil
Ian life and drawn from every strain
OF foreign blood. In my own head
quarters group, for instance, there
were men whose ancestors came from
all parts of Europe; there was nv
iiaison officer, Kramer, who was edu.
Gated in Germany; there was LIE
Beouf, French Canadian who had
settled in Massachusetts; there was
Glover Virginian of straight Eng
iish extraction; there was Bolacco
from Italy, and Sergeant Murphy of
Irish blood. And in our regiment
there were many other races repre-
scented, including Poles, Russian Jews
and Greeks.
Proud to Be Americans
Yet every one of these men
thought in perfectly straight Ameri-
can nationalism, and were extremely
proud OF the fact that they were
citizens of this country. This pride
extended even to those who could
not speak English when they came to
us-a fact which was demonstrated
py their frantic efforts to learn Eng.
lish as soon as possible. the language
that they wish to speak not because
IL was more convenient but because
hey preferred it to any other.
The second great effect the war
had on the characters of the Amer
cans who fought in it, it seemed to
ne, was the democratizing effect.
The boys in the army found that our
'rand of democracy is not merely a
'hibboleth, but an operating force of ,
'ur daily lives. Pull and favoritism .
lid not go in the A. E. F., and theI ,
'oys learned this mighty fast--all of :
hem. And they have come home with
realization of our real American
democracy.
Among our forces men were chos-
N for whatever places they were
'est fitted for. regardless of their
william position. The result was real.
lot theoretical, democracy.
"This resulted in officers often be-
ng chosen from the ranks of, say, a
hauffeurs or walters, while there 8
1ere under them many privatcs who t
ad been business and professional f
len in private life. For instance, a
here was a private who was city edi- a
DR. OF a great middle-westerr daily {,
efore the war, and in one regiment 81
re had runner who was an ex. state o
enator from Washington. Ii
"The actual democracy the boys n
earned over there is we'll illustrated n
y story l heard. A lieutenant was q
slecting chauffeur for one of the a
enerals and volunteers were asked G,
,r. A private stepped out Of the +
. a =