Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-06-25
HEROES
Of WAR TRAINED
IN SOUTHWEST
Nineteen Year Old Soldier at
NogaIeS is An Expert and
His Birds Have Won HonorS
in Government Service.
rs.e.AL eosnss,onDsne. 70 snsn,ne .ovrnA.l

rPEc.AL eoRREsPoN1EHeE TO MORNING JOURNAL
Nogales, Ariz., June 24.-To be the
trainer of the champion homing
pigeon in the United States army is
the distinction of Cecil Osborn 49,
year-old brother of Baby Osborn"
and foster brother of May Allison,
nlD' le stars stationed At Camp Steph-
en- d. Little, Nogales AriZ. Osborn,
although two years short of his ma
jority. is the Oldest man, in point of
service, in the pigeon section of the
southern military department $ gnal
corps. He is a private, first class,
and a pigeon fancier to the nature
born. Young Osborn has complete
supervision over seventeen COops of
military homing pigeons located at
strategic points along the Mexican
border. and believes his birds WILL be
able to render great service to Uncle
Sam in the event OF serious trouble
between the United States and Mex
leo. He believes in keeping his flyers
in good shape always, and with this
end in view is continually sending
them on long cross country flights.
Military regulations will not permit
the publication of the name or num-
Der of the champion flyer, a Belgian
homer trained by Private Osborn,
weeks ago and was from DOugles,
Ariz., to Nogales, a distance of 1928
miles, and only fifty-five minutes
elapsed between the time the bird
was released and the time he entered
the trap at NoGales. The flight was
official.
Private Osborn entered the army
when it first began to look like trou-
bic with Germany, as he thought what
he knew about pigeons would help
can the kaiser. Because of his youth
and spare build he did not go across,
but he has been one of the big factors
in establishing a real homing pigeon
service on the border. He doesn't like
to dwell upon his family connections,
believing they can do their own pub
liCity work, but once started on the
subject of my birds" it's hard to stop
him. He is great believer in the
army Y. NJ. c. A, and almost any
evening he can be found in the large
y. NJ. c. A. building at Camp Little,
explaining to the secretaries and SOL
diers just why a certain bird did or
did not succeed in establishing the
record expected of it.
How do | know my birds from
others? Why, | just know them he
replied to the question. Put a dozen
of my birds with 5000 others and Il
will pick mine out in less than a dozen
minutes. Why. | raised those birds
from the time before they were eggs.
Young Osborn is authority for the
statement that a trained homing pig
con never stops short Of its destjna-
ton once it launches on a journey.
If the bird doesn't come in, it's be
cause it has died of exhaustion or
been captured by hawks. Once it'll
rises into the air and makes its circle
to get its bearings it never lights, and
every minute of the flight the little
fellow develops all the speed of which
it is capable. Generally, upon arriv
ing at its home coop it makes kind
of half-circle over the coop, Iloes
an almost perfect nose dive and
enters the trap.
But suppose the pigeon doesn't
want to enter the trap, then What"'
Osborn was asked.
He'd better want to enter prompt