South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-05-17
AMERICAN LEGION
COMPLETING PLANS
FOR MEMORIAL DAY
Nav 80 Will Be Generally Oh
served Throughout the
World This Year.


this year, due in large part 10 the
cording to an announcement made
az Legion headquarters here today
The statement says:
Originally designed by the Union
veterans OF the Civil war as a par
ticular Decoration Day for their tal-
len comrades. May 80 gradually has
become a DAY set apart in memory
OF all Americans who died for their
country Although 10 has long been
the custom Of many southern states
10 observe a memorial holiday Of
their own on April IS. the tendency
10 a uniform observance has been
apparent since the world war The
Legion, composed Of both the north
and the south. officially adopted
May 80 it's Memorial Day ana posts
OF the world war men on both sides
OF the Mason-Dixon line have. for
the last three years. simultaneously
honored the dead Of the Civil. Span
ish American and world Wars
when the Inter-Allied Veterans
Federation made up or world war
veterans OF France. England, Can
ada, Italy and the others Of the A.
lied nations and OF which the Le-
gion is a member. adopted the Le-
gion's date for the Observance Of
rites for the dead, May 80 became an
international holiday. compare Die
only in universal observance 20
Christmas This year II will be OBJ
/ served by Legion posts and Allied
veterans orga nizations in the fol-
| lowing countries other than the
United States: Canada. Belgium.
/ France. Poland. Turkey. Mexico
( Argentina. Brazil, British Isles
Chile. China. Cuba. Guatemala. ia
/ pan. Peru Porto Rico. Portuguese
\ West Africa. Santo Domingo. Span
/ ish Honduras. India. Venezuela and
| in the Canal Zone. Hawaii Philip
pine Islands and the territory Of
/ Alaska
"As It did last year and the yezr
/ before the Legion will decorate and
/ hold appropriate exercises over the
/ graves Of every American VINO
sleeps on foreign soil as wen as
/ thus honoring the graves OF AmerA-
]
buried in the cemeteries of this
country. Legion posts in France.
Belgium. Poland ana turkey wiI
visit old battlefelds and adjacent
/ cemeteries
The United States graves regis,ra-
ton service has completed its nuse
/ task OF returning 10 this country the
bodies Of 42,023 OF the A. T. F. who
died overseas but 10000 America n
stir remain permanently buried IN
/ cemeteries Of the Allied nations
ITO finance the Memorial Day de-
coration OF graves overseas. each OF
the Legion's 1000 posts was asked
to subscribe an amount equal TO I'VE
cents for each Of itsy members. A
central committee Of the Legion in
France will receive the funds from
this country and have charge OF de-
corating the individual graves.
Several months before Memorial
Day Hanford MacNider. national
commander of the Legion. sent each
post a request that exercises this
year be made as personal as poss.-
BILE. with this end in view" Mar
ready to make special efforts 20 aid
relatives and friends who think on
Memorial Day not so much or the
whole army OF the dead as they viii
Of some one youth who went forth
TO fight and did not come back 81
Gold star parents. desiring that es.
pecial attention be paid 70 the grave
of their departed requesting a Ger
tain type Of floral decoration or re.
ligious ceremony. were asked II
communicate their wishes TO the or,
carnations national headQuarter,
here. from which they were relayec
70 the Legion post nearest the place
Of burial.
The Legion will not confne I'll
exercises and decorations to tn,
memory Of world war heroes alone
The graves of all veterans Of al
American wars will be visited and
decorated and fttingly honored
Last year the organization requested
its posts and units Of the Legion
Auxiliary TO seek out, in each com
munity. graves OF all American sol
der and sailor dead and to prepar,
, charts showing where such grave,
were located and how they could d,
reached The efforts Of the wore
, war men have resulted in mSn,
graves or Civil War veterans pe,=,
; rescued from obscurity and IN
graves Of several veterans OF 1912
, long since forgotten. have beel
found and restored
"A similar plan OF keeping = clos
Z and honored watch on graves o
Americans buried overseas has beer
= evolved. There will be in Franc
J four principal cemeteries wnerefi
men OF the A r. F. will sleep tor
: ever. At present social Fine Art
= commission is working on the pro
I iect which will entail for the col
{ lection OF bodies and the beautihca
: ton OF cemeteries. an expenditure
3 OF more than $1,000. 900 ines
. fields of honor will be located a
. 4 Belleau Wood near Chateau Thier
: ~. Bony. near S. Quentin Sures
2 nes. near Paris, and Romagne. Il
{ the ArEonne near Montfaucon Nor
= than 500 Americans will remain
D buried in England A gift Of Ian,
. BY the British government ano,v
= for the future decorations and car
: OF these graves. Under plans al
J ready advanced little cemetery 70
, those Americans who died in Eng
land. ireland. Scotland and Wales
will be located al Brookwood. sur
rev. England.
This year still fewer Of the prou,
white-haired old heroes q '61-sl
ISL - .L..- .at1-- - 49, a.