The pioneer-review. [volume] (Philip, Haakon County, S.D.) 1920-current, 1920-10-21

RickenbackeT on Why Soldiers Are
against The League OF Nations"
Capt. Riekenbacker mas the ace of
aces, II. american auiation on the
front IN F,unce. His acquaintance
among the soldiers of the late war
is nationwide. When he SPEAKS ior
them, he speaks Uhat he kn0ws.
BY CAPT. EDDIE RickENBAckER.
Chapter 8.
II Is a solemn thing TO go out to kill
or TO be.killed Most men do not like
to 90. They go because duty forces
alem 10. Their sense Of duty to their
country is stronger than their sense OF
representation. They face death be-
cause they ought to protect what they
love at home
That Is what makes spirit In an
army. The West Pointer calls II mo-
rale Without this fighting spirit
soldier is not worth much. and an army
is no army at all. Every soldier knows
this. And so he asks:
''iiow are you going to get the prop
er fighting spirit into American troops
when, under article 10, they will be
called to fght for Poland agains: Rus
sia. or for Roumania against Bulgaria.
or for Greece against Turkey"
What is there to nerve man against
death In the thought that by his death
he will help one of these foreign coun-
tries retain territory as big as Long
Island and prevent another country
frons getting it? win that thought CON
sole him when his mind turns TO the
mother or wife I'm America? Is there
any inspiration In it7 Does man die
gladly for anything SO foreign and so
Sordid?
The soldier who has stood by the
charred flesh and bones of c0mrade
knows there Is no spirit or consolation
In any of these things. Tie knows that
men cannot fly willingly into the face
of death for any such eanses.
The whole thing Is impossible. To a
soldier of the line IT is simply I'M
thinkable. To him all the talk about
Nv lighting boundary wars all around
the globe means Just nothing at all.
You might as well tell him to dievfor
the blue sky as TO die for boundary
lines everywhere and for democracy
In general.
army that could get the fighting spirit
In such cause as that Neither has
any other American soldier. An Amer
ican army that had no other inspira.
.tion would be an army without spirit.
without morale II wouid be no army
AT all defy any soldier to imagine
a fght,na American army under thess
conditions
I'm August. 1918. 10 American ayia-
tore were lined up az plareinnnt.
France. TO 20 10 the front. They si,,qk
hands with everybody and said .gnoi-
by" An engineer officer asked the
captain in charge OF the nviation
group: "Nhy all this gloom7' The
reply was: well, those American ma
chimes have no protection; as sO0I IA
bullet hits TINT gasoline tank II is
certain IL will take fire Immediately
and the men have no chance to get
away. "A month later the engineer
again met the captain and asked If
those men came back. "They never
came baek,r was the simple answer
They never came hack!
DO men do these things as they go
TO breakfast or board street carf
DO they do these things for politicai
theories or for general principles or
for miserable piece Of land that
some foreigner covets and some other
foreigner will not give up7
Can you expect any soldier. who has
seen men dn what those is did, 10 he
for the League Df Nations? Tan you
imagine his wishing such sacrifices to
ne made on the orders of foreign
countryf Can you picture 10 yourself
an American army sent 0serseas by
the American people TO enact such
lragedies7 Or, II sept. can you think
ii possible to inspire an army to brave
deeds ON such hollow pretenses7
cannot. No soldier cnn. That II
why the soldier il against the League
If Nations.