Evening star., 1921-11-11

Of battle. He may have come from
-Iaine or Texas or from any other
state. and he may have belonged to
nny unit. company, regiment. bri-
,,ade, division, corps or army that
fought so valiantly on the Somme, in
6elleau woods. at ST. Mihiel, or in
The Argonre advance. 7ff.,
He was selected by chance from
among the 2.07s unidentified soldiers
buried on the battlefields where they
isallantly fought their last fight and
the selection was made so that his
identity and even the battlefield on
which he was buried are questions
that can never be answered. No mat
Ter who he was nor where he was
killed. he is now the nations most
honored hero.
42453 Brought Back.
At the request of near relatives the
government already has transferred
TO American soil the bodies of 42.453
soldiers. sailors and. marines buried
in European cemeteries. but all those
we're known. and were buried in cem-
cteries near their homes or in ma
I1Onal cemeteries CHOSEN OV InelT rel
ativeS The unknown warrior buried
Today; however. was chosen by the
nation as it's own. Congress provided
specifically for his reinterment on
american soil. and President Harding
personally charged the Secretaries of
Of the law. France and her people
Joined with the United States in pay
ing the highest honors to the body.
E,ro,,n
At the request of the American au-
thorities the ceremonies in France.
while solemn ard reverential. were
devoid Of pomp and os:entation. Ar
rangements for the selection of the
body and its delivery to the naval
cruiser Olympia at Havre were made
ny Maj. Gen. Harry l.. Rogers, quar-
Itethers. Quartermaster Corps. head
nf the graves registration service in
France.
The actual selection was made Oc-
tober "a last on the first floor of the
city hall of Chalons-sur- Marine by
:;ergt. Edward F. Younger Of Chicago.
who served as a private Of infantry
all through the war, was twice
wounded and was in four major en-
sagements. Four earth-stained cof1ns
Jay in a f1ag-decorated apartment.
They contained the bodies Of four un-
identified soldiers who had been bu-
ried, respectively. in the American
cemeteries at Belleau. Bony. Thiau-
court and Romagne. but were with
out mark or symbol of any kind to
show whence they came or whose
bones were within.
Although the town of Chalons-sur-
Marne was bedecked right and left
and high overhead with fluttering
solors of the allies, there was no
formal speech-making. French Of
nd Cfn fnI,
guard about the city hall. the Amer
ican flag ripping at half-mast over
the gilded dome and French mill
tary band, unseen by the crowd, play
ed on muffled trumpets the music of
. Chopin. while Sergt. Younger walk I'd
slowly past the honored row. a bunch
Of white roses in his right hand.
Through a door foated the strains
Of a dirge played by the band of the
Ie6th French Infantry. Past the four
surned and passed them again. Twice
ne made the turn and then gently
placed the roses on the coffin farthest
TO the right. looking from the door.
Placed In Metal Casket.
Then. while only the slow tones of
chantlike music were heard above
the crowd. eight pallbearers, picked
"non-coms" from the ranks, marched
in, lifted the fiag-covered coffin, which
the sergeant had chosen, and carried
II 10 another chamber. 1t was i'm
mediately transferred to metal
casket covered with black cloth and
decked with cleaning silver. During
that movement the 106th French In
fantry presented arms.
The casket was made in the United
states and bore on it's top the words,
IAN unknown soldier who gave his
life In the great war" The three
,tter coffins were quietly borne away
terry.
with only the merest formality the
casket was placed at the door of the
building in makeshift chapel with
American fa4g for walls. Six Of the
tWenty-four American guards OF
honor stood At the left. Six French
poilus, with ylaes at salute. stood at
the right and maintained the guard