New-York tribune., 1921-01-18
The Victory Medal
One of Leather Preferred, PROVIDED
1t Means Something f

To the Editor OF The Tribune. i9s
Sir: AS a veteran tenant of an ,ex.
tremely expensive section of front line
apartments for nearly year and hav-
ing been present at quite few eviction
contests, and also numbering among
those present who have not as vet mate
my application, theHby perhaps forfeit
ing my much coveted discharge, should
like to register, in accordance with the
sentiment of healthy number of 'bud:
dies" few opinions as to the why's
and wherefores Of this deplorable con.
dition of affairs.
First, to US. the Victory Medal. As
conditions for its legal possession NOW
obtain, 1T means nothing. Any one who
has had thirty days service (even
slackers who had to be forced by the
draft) can obtain and wear one.
Secondly, l myself have on numerous
occasions seen men now in the service
ana IN uniform wear engagement bars
TO number which required the indi.
vidual to perform on two fronts at one
lime; and any one who was connected
with a genera staff as pist, or field
clerk, wears all the bars, stars. ETC., to
which the entire corps was entitled by
virtue of it's activities on the firing line.
10 one who lost, and was present st
he losing, of some Of the bravest and
.inest "buddies" in this world, to orc
who endured cheerfully the shortcom-
Angs OF inexperienced staff and line off,
cers, but put the old weary shoulder
% the wheel and helped turn "it" over,
"a justice to the combat element of
the brotherhood of the A. E. F.. could
20 over the top three times day if I
id not at present consider discretion
The better part of valor.
We realize that every one who did not
md himself in a shell hole covered by
some Boche sniper or maxim was cid
Hard Luck himself, and would have
glven his old right arm to have had Q
nance to mix it with Fritz" but we
also damn we'll know that on certain
lay one regiment was sent back into
Actlon after four hours rest with only
100 rifles, counting our cooks, officers
strikers, company clerks and transport
personnel, with the instructions 70
Hold 'em, Yale" -
Did We curse the Stacker? Did we
curse the "brave" who still has that
right arm? Did we? Yea, boy. ! wish
the medal maker himself had been pres
ent in little hunk of trench that wss
being used by some of Us to provide
shelter for three of our gang who got
too careless.
Now it is all forgotten. The differ
ent Ler ion posts have among their mefA-
bers men who were disgrace TO the
service, men who have money with which
to help out immediate difficulties, Ppt
saw no more active service than chasing
spies on Broadway and Fifth Avenue
Vhe drafted men are the "big thing" be-
cause they hold the majority of woes
and must never be offended. But we caat
forget, n'xy; not while they bring them
back in scaled tin boxes from over
there.
Have Uncle Sam strike off leather
medal for the tin derby brigade and
diamond one for the others, and we'll 20
glad to wear leather. Take your stars.
and bars, and gold stripes, wrap them
up in oiled paper and store them with
Civil War pensions, but give the bat
tiers something by which they will 30
known to each other to the exclusion, ps
all fakerdom.
RICHARD X. STRONG,
Late 9th Division, A. 3. b.
New York, Jan. Is, 1921.