East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-12-08

Of z ARMIES
BADLY IN NEED OF AID

PITTSBURGH, Pa, Dec. Sd y.
cl-Tf war is what General Sherman
aid il was, then what is peace
riraz Katina, L. 5. World War vet
eran and later soldier of the Amerlcah
egion of the Czecho-Slovakia army
Win did a stretch up in Siberia 10.
,avo his country from the Reds, prop
eb1v is better qualified than most any
other man in this country to give lpe
answer, if he would.
He is the champion hard luck NeteF-
an r-nited States red tape almost I'M
ished him. II happened TINS way
He enlisted in Fan American resl-
mont at the outset of the World War
and fought through that great con-
fIict from start to finish as a YANKEE
soldier. Likewiseh, ne is naturallzeo
\ American. Then peace came Ale
big war was over. The Reds IN Rus-
sin were menacing Czecho-SloVaEla'
He volunteered with fellow Americans
to go up to Siberia to help save MS
native country. In course OF lihle he
with his comrades returned to the
United States. He came to PlttspufsH
and worked hard for months; then ms
nualth broke down due to the rlgofS
Of war seryl1.
. Operation Dcnie,.
. Surgeons were called. They want
ed to operate He was broke, NC
money, no operation, tho surgeons
said Then is was suggested that h'
[ lie put in a Government hospital TO-
disabled soldiers. 1t was discovered
| he had enlisted in another country
!. army after the Americans quit fight
ing in Germany, so it was declared
he was not an American citizen, be
cause there is a Federal law to the ell
feet that any former foreigner Wh'
. fights in another country without thu
governments authorization loses hi
citizenship. He applied for aid tt
Czecho- Slovakia through diplomat
I channels for help. Czecho- -Slovakit
was good to it's. disabled vets. WORD
7 came to Pittsburgh that the Czecho
Slovakian Government was sorry. bu
Katina had renounced his citizenship
in that country and had become al
. American, therefore it was up to Am
erica to take care of him. Poor Kat
ina, valiant fighter for both countries
was now, officially, veteran withou
country.
st. Francis Hospital, in Pittsburgh
handles disa bled soldiers for the L. S
Government, the Government paying
the soldiers bills.
Friends Assist
Kind friends got poor Katina out
/! to st. Francis Hospital; but, aside
from landing on a patients cot, that
is as far as he got. No one of his
friends had the price for an operation
and there could be no operation until
the cash to pay for it was in sight
Pathetic appeals went to Washington
Bureau chiefs clerks and others down
there passed the buck from one sec
ton to another. Formida BILE looking
documents were prepared about this
man; chief and sub chiefs rubber
stamped the papers and passed them
along. But Katna still reposed on his
lonely cot in st. Francis Hospital, in
Pittsburgh and so it wen from week
| 10 week. CLERKS IN washington II WeItt
about their business with their accus-
toned calmness and deliberation.
Finally DR.. Bedrich Stepanek, Gee
! cho-S -Slovakian Minister, thought some
thing ought to be done about it in
stead of so much red take. He wrote
letter. 1t just sizzled. Then things
happened might fast. Word came to
/ St Francis Hospital that Katina might
be hospitalized along with other Am
erican veterans. He could have his
operation and whatever else he needed
in the way of medical attention. The
l. c Government cOuld he cha rped