The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-03-26
SOLDIERS MAY
KEEP THEIR UNIFORMS
AND EQUIPMENT
POSTMASTER BRICKER GETS Or
DERS NOT TO RETURN UNI
FORMS OF SOLDIERS OR
SAILORS.

Soldiers will be pleased to learn
that they are to be allowed the priv
ilege of retaining in their possession
and as their own personal property
the uniforms which they had when dis
charged from the United States army
service. This same ruling applies
to all sailors asd marines who have
been in the service prior to November
IL, 1918 and sets at rest for good a
lot of questions and anxiety as to just
what had to be done with the over
coats and uniforms which the men
wore when they were discharged.
Ever since the signing of the armis-
tice there have been conflicting ru-
mors as to just what would be the
ultimate outcome of the many con-
flicting orders which emanated from
the war office regarding the possession
and ownership of the uniforms which
the boys wore. One order which
was given out was to the effect that
each man was to return his uniform,
etc., at the end of three months. An
other order said that the time was
four months. Another order said
that no man had a right to wear the
uniform after he had reached his
home and that it should be returned
modified so that it allowed of the uni
form being worn on special occasions.
These conditions brought out many
storms of vigorous protests from peo-
pie all over the country and congress
men soon began hearing what the
folks back home thought of the way
the war department was running
things in the way of not allowing the
boys to keep their uniforms. Con-
gress got busy and passed a law
whereby the boys would be allowed to
keep the clothing permanently. Post
masters all over the country were no
titled not to accept any mere mail
shipments of clothing for the war de-
partment and since this notice has
been received at the local office Post
master Rricker has turned back sew
eral uniforms to the young men who
were about to send them back to the
war department.
A suggestion has been made and we
think that it is good one, to the eff
feet that the boys take very good
care of the uniforms with which they
were clothed while in the service and
whenever there is a reunion of sol
diers and sailors of the great national
army, they will come in just right.
There will be many special occasions
coming up at various times in future
years at which it will be very nice to
see our young men clothed in their
khaki colored uniforms and we will
all take pride in seeing them displayed
at such times. On the other hand it
is disgusting to see a soldier or sailor
wearing his uniform every day at his
work and caring absolutely nothing
about whether he keeps it clean or
not. We recently saw a young re-
turned soldier working in a garage
and he had his army uniform just as
dirty and greasy as if they were no
more than an ordinary pair of over
alls. Were it fact that the young
man would have been in such straight
ened circumstances that he had no
other suit it would have been some
what excusable, but his sole and only
reason for wearing the uniform was
not cut of respect for it, but as he
stated, that he wanted to get every
cents worth of wear out of he gov
ernments stuff that he could before
returning it. We hope and sincerely
believe that like use of the uniform
is disgrace and should be discour-
aged and stopped and that the uni
forms will be carefully preserved for
use on special occasions in the future.
A later order has made it so that
in case any of the soldiers have al
ready returned their uniforms, that
they can secure them back or new uni
4 forms in their stead by applying to
the nearest army zone supply officer
for them. Overseas men who have
already turned in their uniforms and
their overseas equipment such as gas
masks, helmets, etc. can also secure
them in the same manner.