Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-07-31
OFFICIAL PAPER
Of A. T. F. WAS
A BOON To yANKS
Stars and Stripes Kept SOL
dierS Informed of What Was
Going on in France and At
Home, Says Sergt, LuCkett

Almost everybody heard of the
Stars and Stripes, the official news
papG' of the American cXpedltionary
forces, but few understand how and
why it was started, who conducted 1t,
the difficulties under which 1t was
published and whether It was 4 sue
cess. Sergeant Jack G. Luckett. son
of Mr.. and Mrs. II. Luckett. arrived
home Monday night after having
spent two Years overseas with the
press section of the American army.
He sailed for France early in 1917
with the Rainbow division, but upon
the organization of the stars and
Stripes he was assigned to the business
department of the newspaper. In dis
cussing the history of the publication
yesterday he said:
The Stars and Stripes appeared for
the first time early in February of
1917, at first merely on a small scale,
the first issue being less than 10000,
but it continued to flourish until June
10, 1919. finally reaching circula-
ton of $4,000, the largest of any
weekly newspaper in the world. The
stars and Stripes was organized by
Lieut. Guy r. Viskniski, formerly
identified with the Wheeler syndicate
in New York, then a second lieuten-
ant detached from the Eightieth diVl-
sion and serving with the American
field press headquarters at Neutcha-
teau The Stars and Stripes was born
of the needs of the a. f. f. ana the
energy of Lieutenant Ntskniskl, that
energy breaking down every obstacle
and brushing aside the opinions OF
people who said 1t couldn't De zone:
80 with some shoestrng. a lot of
70
| o. ID. pockets. and later with $4,000
francs borrowed from the general
staff, the paper was started. That
working capital was repaid shortly
after and when the paper ceased
publication $4,000 was turned over
to the government treasury.
THE entire editorial staff of the
Stars and Stripes was made uD mostly
of privates, witha small scattering OF
non coms. and a few officers as con-
tributors to its columns, but until the
end they all had the same slogan by
and for the soldiers of the A. f. F.
IF the editorial problem had its
curious features this was doubly true
of the business department, whose
lob il was to see that every doughhoy
in the trenches got his paper each
week This problem was solved by
Capt. Richard II. waldo. formerly
business manager of the New York
Tribune. 1t was by Captain Waldo's
tireless efforts that system of dis
tribution was finally devised that
made the Stars and Stripes real
newspaper. The Stars and Stripes
was later moved from Neufchateau to
| Paris, where the paper was run off
the plant of the London Daily Mail,
! one of the most modern newspaper
/ uIants n Europe. Besides admins
| tering to the literary needs of the A.
| e r. the personnel of this paper
found time to launch campaign that
adopted 544 motherless and father
less war orphans.
Certainly no other newspaper was
ever born of a greater need than was
the stars and Stripes. Equally Ger
! tain is it that no other newspaper
ever served it's needs with more 10y
/ atty and ability. 1t brought cheer,
smiles, news from home, news from
. places of interest IN the land they
were fighting in. to two milllon men,
thousands of miles from the United
States and in addition, it encouraged
these men to fight with smiles and
confidence and inspired the Heaven
He'll or Hoboken' spirit that made the
Yanks the greatest soldiers the world
1 has ever known.
con June IS the old flag was haul
ed down and the bugler blew taps
over the final issue of the Stars and
Stripes, thus closing one of the most
successful ventures of American jour
nalsm."
Sergeant Jack G. Luckett arrived
) home with his wife, to whom he was
, married in Houston, TEX, last week
His father is an employe of the me
chanical department of the Journal