The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1921-12-17

fielency-Number Of American Dead
That Have Not Been Identified ls
Between 1000 and 1900, In Striking
Contrast to Tragic Totals Of Other
Countries.
Amid the pomp and pngeantry when
world paid homage to Americas
unknown soldier on Armlstlce day, lit
tie thought was given to the wonder
full work Of the army quartermaster
corps in identifying thousands who
fell In the great war, writes Junius B..
Wood In Chicago News. The casual
ties Of the American forces on land
and sea were, roughly, 10000. Out
Of that number the adjutant generals
Office records 77,133 as fatal and as
occurring outside the borders of the
United States. The unknown" was
one Of these.
The cemeterial division has 7704S
graves registered. or these, 12,OOS
bodies have been transferred, all ex-
cept a few hundred distributed to
different countries IN Europe, being
brought to the United States. There
are eight official American government
cemeteries. However, there are close
to 500 village burial plots in France,
Belgium, Germany and other countries
from which soldier dead have not been
removed.
The record Of the last resting place
Of the unknown" before he was
hrnftryhN s,rl I. 10 10
Chalons-sur-Marne and selected for
the nations honor, Is carefully guard
ed secret OF the War department.
While he probably came from one Of
five large American battlefront ceme-
teries, 1t is not impossible that he
came from one Of the 500.
May Have Been Marine.
Figuring on the proportion of cas-
ualties in the different branches Of the
service, chances strongly favor the
unknown" having been soldier. He
might have been an officer, and there
is a stronger possibility that he was
n marine. The latter branch lost
many in its first bitter fight In Bel
leau woods, and more than one grave
In that cemetery is marked unknown
American" The possibilities are
smaller that he was bluejacket from
the medical corps of the marine bril-
gade, or soldier from some other ma
tlon's army.
The number of American dead who
have not been identified is between
1000 and 1900. This is In striking
contrast TO the tragic totals of other
countries, whose unidentified sons run
into the hundreds of thousands. One
reason for that Is that at the time of
the American participation the allied
front was advancing and the dead
usually were behind our own lines.
Another reason Is that the A. E. II.
paid more attention to this sentiment
al phase OF the war. / have frequent
ly seen burial parties working under
fire. digging shallow graves and care
fully marking them, so that identity
would not be lost when the body was
removed to permanent cemetery.
Unless the graves registration corps
has been singularly careless, the iden-
tlty of the unknown" can be limited
TO much smaller field than 1900.
For every grave marked unknown
American" a record was kept of where
and when the body was found on the
battle front With such a record II
would be comparatively easy TO deter
mine what division, possibly what reg
iment, was In action at that particu-
lar spot at that time. It's number of
unknown would be n small fraction
Of the total for the entire expedition.
The possibility of the unknown" be-
Ing straggler separated from his
unit, however would enter.
Cemeteries In France.
The A. E. F. cemeteries in Europe
are:
Location Name
Belleau Woods .......-,..,.... Aisne Marine
RomRgne Sous Montfaucon ...............
.''''.'''''''''''' ...Meuse-Argonno
Fere en- Tardenois. .......,.......o Disc Aisne
buresnes (Paris) buresnes
Brookwood (England) ........ .Brookwood
Warrington (Belsium) ..,..Flanders Field
The first FIVE Of these are known as
battle front cemeteries, the one at
Romagne being by far the largest.
One illustration Of the thoroughness
with which the identification work has
been carried on Is shown In the case
Of an aviation officer whose blazing
plane fell within the enemy's lines.
He was buried without Identification
marks, and the grave not found by
the Americans until after the armIs-
tlce. A laundry mark and the tag Of
Rochester IN. " uniform maker
was the only clew. The uniform man
ufacturer was given the data and re-
quested to cooperate. He sent 800
letters 10 retailers. Several replied
that they had sold uniforms to officers
with those initials. The divisions near
those cities We're checked up. One
dealer was in Texas near an aviation