The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1920-11-17


mel, full armed, the last earthly guar
dian of those who have no longer need
of guarding.
AS you stand there, looking down
the line of flags that stretch so far
that your eye is lost among them
your hat comes off by a will beyond
your own. and you feel quick tight
ening at your throat, and snoring
in your eyes. There they are, those
fellows you left over there at Beau
mont. or at St. Emelie or at Roma
gne. under the warm French sun.
There is a little insistent purr. An
electric truck glides by with its bur-
den of a recruit for this army Of the
dead. The coffin is very heavy in its
wooden box that covers and protects
the metal easket within-nine hun
dred pounds each weighs. But the men
that handle it do it as If they had
known the chap inside. Perhaps they
did, for they, too, are ex-service men,
all of them. And always they keep
the huge box level, as if some sud
den Jolt might disturb eternal sleep.
Four Of them lay it gently on its tres
ties. The flag is stretched to cover it.
The electric truck purrs off for new
burden. Silence falls again. The
sentry resumes his slow march, back
and forth.
What is fienst about it-what is
most American about it's that there
is no tinsel, no crepe, no immortelles,
Just the essential things-the man who
died, the flag he died for-and the
living soldier, walking his post sym
bois of the tradition and the purpose
that we, the living, have taken from
the hands of those who died over there
as it we're a flaming torch.
Every few days a ship comes in
with it's solemn load and Brik. Gen.
John ]. Bradley, commanding officer
of the port of embarkation, and his
staff meet the ship.
No formal honors are pair in Ho'
boken-it is regarded merely as a
point of transit. But the bodies are
kept in the flag hung chamber Pier
4, under military guard, night and day
until the family can be notified of the
arrival of the body and can give final
instructions as to its disposition.
AS soon as the bodies arrive tele-
grams are sent to the next of kin OF
each deceased soldier and final in,
struction requested. In number OF
| instances after the body had been ex-
humed in France and brought all the
way to Hoboken, the family of the
dead soldier has altered its plans, and
requested that the body be permitted
to remain in France.
This, of course, would involve re-
shipment of the remains to France
and endless complications with the
Freach authorities. When this hap
pens, General Bradley orders the re
mains sent to Washington, where bur
iai takes place in the United States
cemetery at Arlington, with full mil
itary honors.
When the bodies first began to ar
rive each was sent separately with
military escort direct to the home
town of the dead older. This was
found not only be enormously expen
sive, but with the limited military
force Of which the commanding gener
al of the port or embarkation dispose'
I materially impossible without long de
laws. General Bradley therefore de
cided to send the remain to the Ger
trial distributing points of the army
corps area where tn commanding
/ general of the corps area send eaci
body to its particular destination will
a military escort from his command.
In this way the collins are carried
in a separate baggage car, decorated
with flags which contains nothing
but the twenty-five bodies and the mill
tary guard. An officers accompanies
| each car to the central point of tn
corps area and an enlisted man &C
companies each body to its final de
companies each body to it's final rest
ing place, even attending the funera
if the family desires it.
The flag which covers the caske
from the moment of its arrival il
New York until it is lowered int,
the grave in the cemetery in the hom
town Of the dead soldier is the prop
erty of the family of the deceased
New Orleans Item.
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