Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-05-14
D. S. N. AWARDS ARE
|. NOT TOO NUMEROUS
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT MUCH
MORE NleeARDLY IN GIVING
OUT HoNoRs THAN FRANCE.
LATEST LIST FROM PERSHING
Public Will Never Know Adequately
About the Remarkable Accomplish
nents of Such Men as General Jad-
win and Colonel Wilmer.
By EDWARD q. CLARK.

transmitted TO the war department a
tinguiShed service medals made by the
military board of the American expe-
dictionary force which decides on mat
tiers of merit.
There is q long list of the men who
hereafter will wear the ribbon of dis
tinguished service, but long though it
may be, it is brevity itself compared
with the list of awards made by the
French military authorities to their
own men and TO individual soldiers of
the allies who have won French re-
gard and recognition.
Someone in the city of Washington
recently said that distinguished serv-
ice medals are getting common. This
is way beside the truth The Amer
lean government is rather niggardly
in giving out its honOrs. If 1000 dis
tinguished service medals are award
ed What does this mean when it is
remembered that 100000 American
soldiers were striving to do their duty
and something beyond it in the fields
of France?
When the American public reads a
list of the men who have been marked
for distinguished service medals it
probably will be surprised at the num-
Der of names of ranking officers con-
corning whom they heretofore have
heard little or nothing. This war has
been var with the suppression of
names. With the exception of a few
army officers of the highest rank the
country has been allowed to know vir-
tually nothing of the personality of
the men who have been doing COM
manding work in France. II is not
like this in the French army.
General Jadwin's Work at GieVre.
How many Americans know about
the town of Gievre in France? Two
years ago Gievre was about the size
of walnut shell. Today it is a huge
town built almost overnight by an
American engineer, Brig. Gen. Edgar
Jadwln, who distinguished himself
some years ago by constructive work
on the Isthmus in connection with Will
liam L. Sibert and David du Bose Gail
lard, who respectively built the Gatun
locks. dam and spillway, and dug
the Culebra cut.
In the list of men who won the dis
tinguished service medals appears the
name of ''E. Jadwin." This is all that
there is about the matter. OF course
in the citation which gives General
Jadwin his distinguished service medal
the details of his work are set forth
but this does not get to the people
any more than It does In the cases OF
scores of others.
Jadwin built Gievre, the great Amer.
lean depot, and he did it so quickly
and SO well that the American forces
had a base bigger perhaps than any
other base in history, and one from
which supplies could be handled quick.
ly, thus making it possible to win
battles quickly.
What Colonel Wilmer Did for Flying
Another army officer whose name
means little or nothing perhaps to
most people is William II. Wilmer
colonel and medical officer, American
eXpeditionary forces. Physicians know
about Colonel Wilmer, for he is one
of the most noted oculists in the world
Here is an American who gave up O
tremendous practice to enter the army
as a major. 1t was his thorough
knowledge of optics, if that is the
proper word, which enabled him &c
understand the psychology of aviators
and so TO apply his knowledge as to
decrease materially the number of fly,
Ing accidents in the schools at France
Pilots and observers in scores owe
their immunity from accident and err
rOr to the data collected by this Amer
lean doctor, who by the way lives in
the city of Washington and is now
getting his one line in the public re,
ports for the life-saying work which
he did in France.
Running through the list of men who
have been given the distinguished
service medal, it is found that the
board of officers which passes on
questions of merit seemingly has done
its work well. The pity is perhaps
that the American public never will
know anything at all adequate about
the sacrifices to duty made by the
officers who have been singled out To
wear the ribbon and the badge. How.
ever, they probably are not complain.
ing, because they did their work well
and are satisfied with the conscious
ness of the fact.
Army Inundated by Mutiny.
Army officers in Washington are
chagrined and Inundated at the news
IF the muCiny Of a company of Amer.
lean soldiers on the North Russian
front 1t is a safe assumption that
unless some kind Of pacifist pat-them-
on-the-baek influences shall prevail
the men who refused to fight wIll get
what military sense dictates that they
should get.
The last word which has come TO
this city is to the effect that the teach
ings Of one man were responsible for
the trouble. There seerns to be a