American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-02-14

throuob walter Reed. is and will be bound
up with the hopes of thousands OF men ana enen
families. Working with these army doctors ~
surgeons is the American Red Cross, helping 10
comnlete the bridge between the families ana the
men during their separation, through It's commune
cation service, its various hospital services anu III
all kinds of ways through its home service from
buying buttons or pricing q certain KIM v
spiral puttees on some boys request, TO arrahs,hs
for his war risk insurance, or perhaps hosptal
treatment for some member of a mans family IN
a far.awHy town.
In the conyalescent house there is the great
open fireplace, with its cracking fire, books, now
ers, games, music. Every week one OF the WASH
ington theaters sends out several OF lts ac.S'
After classes the men pour in, some OF those VINO
have lain so helpless weeks before, now III
wheeled chairs engrossed in some handworE' yet
eager for the music and the fun. Others come 10
say "~good-by' before the visit home You Wou'u
not guess that this boy had ever lost a leg OF
that an artificial arm could become so dexterous
as some you see here.
A leaf from the Red Cross entertainment DOCK
is interesting. These events, planned from the
outside, are arranged through application to the
recreational staff of the Red Cross at the post
Here are characteristic items: Seventy boys 10
Keith's theater and supper; one hundred boys TO
Mount Vernon three boys to birthday party for
Sergeant; ~forty-hve on sightseeing bus tour
and so on and on.
"Why. sergeant, where is your new leg l
Thought YOU were so proud OFF, one of the work.
ers calls TO a boy on a crutch. 81 loaned it to
lin. He had a pass to go to town" he answers
boy, wearing carefully. wrapped puttees,
comes along in a wheeled chair. Did you find
out about those other puts?' he asks the Red
Cross lady" "Yes, and there is only one pair in
town and they cost twelve dollars" II guess
wen have to go without" he says; and there fol-
lows an Interested conversation about a package
20 no addressed To n girl back home,
A young boy who had lost one leg and one foot
was having attached for the first time the arti-
fetal leg on which, with n crutch, he soon was
going to try to walk. To support himself he had
one arm around his army surgeon, the other
around the Red Cross man. He was making great
brayado, though his face was white. When the
apparatus was attached he asked to sit down
The surgeon and the Red Cross man helped hin
into a chair. With a long sigh he settled the
new" leg firmly on the floor and then flung what
was left of the other leg over 1t. Though the
heads OF sweat were still on his face he looked III
nertly with his head cooked. "GeeT' he said, 81
Won hadn't crossed your legs for eleven month!
you'd know how i feel"
These men are OF those who have given "thel
breosts n bulwark and their blood a moat." The,
hive given too great n thing to need any kind o
sympathy except the supreme one of understand
ing. The medical department of the army ant
the Red Cross make a cycle of ehort-social
human. physical. mental. In this work of recon
struction there may be found, literally, life NOR
abundant. AS these men leave hospital and uni
form, and come back to the familiar-strange civil
ian world. the public win take up its part; an,
each man will he, IL he utilities the opportunitte
omen to him and society does not exploit him, a
independent asset In place OF II dependent or
charity liability.