Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1919-07-18

w USJth toouJ thS pfpttC"toh
of the History of The 4S4th Aero
Squadron, of the A. Z. f., dcfiUe in
the great .War ON the front in
France. II iUiU be run as serial
through tho or three numbers. Lo-
cal interest is giUen to the publica-
ton by the fact that this Squadron
had in ii tho Greenbrier men
Sergeant N. b. Underwood, of Rom
ceUerte, and Corporal George b..
Robinson, son of J. w. (JdcE) Rob-
inson of Failing Spring diStrictD
Among the unsung heroes of the
Great War"-and there are un-
doubtedly many none deserve
more credit or praise than the men
of the Aero Construction Squad
ronS. Not a line, no not word
has been written to tell the story,
to relate how these outfits followed
the advancing armies, moving
ahead of the heavy artillery, pre-
pairing shell torn ground for flying
fields, rushing hangers and bar
racks from recently abandoned
fields to sites often chosen from
the air, working night and day. con-
stantly hearing the great, rumbling
Niagara of the American Barragc
fire, stopping momcntarily TO gaze
with awe at an observation balloon
going up in flames, watching the
observer floating downward in his
parachute, then turning back to
tackle the job OF erecting a hangar,
clipping few minutes off the rec
ord made the day before. Who shall
say there was no romance in such
work? Who shall turn aside with a
sheer ard say Give me tale Of
iighting?"
Here is q story OF men who enlist
ed with every expectation that they
would soon become flyers; men
who rushed to the colorS at the first
call, anxious to give their lives, if
need be, for their flag. When, after
their arrival in France they found
themselves definitely welded to the
pick and shovel and the saw and
hammer and realizing that the near
est approach to an airship they
would ever handle was gasoline
signs of disappointment, but like
good soldiers they tackled the job
on hand, and not once i'm their more
or less brief history could they be
accused of anything but the hard
est kind of plugging.
The peculiar requirements enter
ing into the design and conStruc-
ton Of AirdrOmeS for Air Service
Units of Armies actively operating
in the field, were at once recognize
cd by Colonel Clinton &. Edgar,
who organized and perfected the
Construction Division and later the
Supply Division of the Air Service
and as a result, the organizing into
Units by him, of Officers and troops
having experience peculiarly filling
them for both military and cngi-
nctring duties required for this
purpose, was begun shortly after
our entrance into The war so that
it was possible to send these United
overseas to construct AirdromcS
and prepare fields well in advance
of the flying organizations which
were to follow.
Not the least among these Or
CARNATIONS was the 4SIth Aero
Squadron. A pioneer from its very
birth, this Squadron first saw the
light Of day at Kelly Field when
that camp was but a pup. Origin
ally known as the 72nd Aero Squad
ron it was recruited from volun-
teers in the Regular Army from JEFF
fcrSon Barracks, Mo-, the original
roster including men from what
New Workers choose to call West,
and WcStcrncrs choose to call East,
namely, the States of Illinois, Iowa,
Missouri and Wisconsin. Formally
organized August 18th, 1917, il was
mustered in on the 31st of the same
month by Captain Mumma, Infan-
try u. S. A., who likewise gave the
men their first taste of drill.
Because of the constantly increas
ing numbers Of recruits arriving
daily, Kelly Field was experiencing
extreme growing pains, so the in
FAINT 72nd was called TO help out in
the expansion process and was Civ
en- its first baptism Of "Pick II
Shovel"
dad" Edward g. Owen was Sc
lccicd as acting "Top" Sergeant be-
cause Of four years previous cxpcr-
fence in the u. S. Maryland like
all "Old Sails" became at once pop
ular for his ability to spin yarns.
Is there man or officer in the
Squadron who has moi heard Dads
wondrous (and dubiouS) cXpcr-