Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-08-25
A 1000 WORD akEfCH OF
EDWIN DENLY
(Continaed from first page)
In the Boot Camp


At Paris Island, known to all
Marines as the boot camp, as all re-
cruits for some undetermined reason
are known as 'boots," DENLY imme-
diately made his mark as a he-man.
He did his trick on the drill ground
under hoarse barking drill sergeants,
learned to hit the bull with commen-
dable regularity on the rifle range,
and fell in with his buddies when the
eagle eyed police sergeants wanted
ditch digger, a stevedore or a man
handy with a spud knife in the gal
leys. Two months later he had
shown we'll enough in the intensive
training to win his corporaPs stripes.
incidentally he had mislaid twenty
five pounds of Irish flesh.
The 81 Knew DENLY When He Was
a Boot" Club has spun many yarns
about Denby's boot camp days. They
promise to equal in wealth of detail
all the legendary exploits of George
Washington but at this stage they
have all the attributes of truth.
Then some gifted person conciev-
ed the idea of having DENLY now a
sergeant, lecture to the daily arri-
walls that poured into the boot camp
lin civilian clothes to do their bit.
About 10000 of them passed through
the stern mill of Paris Island in the
war days and to each of them DENLY
with all the eloqnence and the high
standards that he possessed in un-
usual measure, told them of the his
tory and traditions of the Marine
Corps, the significance of the war,
their duties and their privileges, and
indoctrinated them with the spirit
of the Corps.
His notable services towards
building up the morals of the men
won him his commission as second
lieutenant in the Marine Corps re-
serve and he held the rank of cap.
tain when he realized his ambition
to go overseas as an observer.
On his return to the United States
he was mustered out with the ranE
of major in May, 1919, and resumed
his old activities in Detroit. HI
was serving as probation officer Of
the Detroit Municipal Courts whe1
the President-elect invited him t.
Florida. John w. Weeks, now Sec
retary of War, was then definitel!
slated for the Cabinet, but had de
clined the Navy portfolio. He hat
long been intimate with DENLY, boil
having served in the naval reserv
in 1898 and together in Congress
He is universally credited with hav
ing impressed on MIR. Harding tn
striking fitness of Edwin DENLY fo
the Navy job.
A Sea Going Secretary
Hardly had DENLY assumed hi
new duties before the Navy kne1
that a firm hand was at its helm
Successful in business, a patriot VIII
had served in both of it's fightin
branches, a man of genial and force
full personality, his first utteranc
brought the Navy. fgurativel!
speaking, to "man the rail with
cheer for the Old Man"
"My mission" he said, sis to main
tain the Navy at the highest pea
of power, ready for battle at any nc
tice." Then he cleared decks, mad
two bureau chief appointments,
thorough survey of the fleet and bl
raeu needs, and as soon as Congress
had adjourned was off for the soutl
A dash on a destroyer from Ke
west to join the Atlantic Battle Flet
at Guantanamo for three day Wis
and inspection, back to the tiltin
decks of the destroyer for a look-se
at the Marines in Haiti and SAINT
Domingo and a record breaking tri
from Santo Damingo to Washingtc
on the U. S. S. Pruitt, commando
by Captain Badger. No wonder tt
cry went up: "A sea-going Seer
tary!" from the rank and file of tt
United States Navy.
Out in Detroit a newspaper ms
summed it all up in one terse SCI
tence:
"He has lived the life of pc
petual boyhood."