The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-01-28


 than the gob. But I know that there is no American who has more real respect and veneraton for his flag. The American flag was >frightfulIy misused at smyrna, and the gobs re- sented it. Nearly everybody claimed to be an American as soon as It was understood that the Turkish high command had agreed to the evacuation of those entitled to American protection, and everywhere appeared real, or imitation American flags. A dramatic incident, which incidentally served to show the goh's reaction to the flag, occurred on the day of the great fire.
 An American flag had been hung from the front of the theatre we used for the concentration of nat uralized Americans and their fami- lies. In the confusion of getting them away. when the fire swept down, the flag was left. That night. a group of us, civilians, officers and gobs, watched the destruction of the city from the deck of the United States destroyer Litchfield, anchored a quarter of a mile from shore. It was a magnificent and appalling spectacle. and the center of it, tine point of supreme interest was that American flag. It was visible at times. by the light of the flames, as the wind swung and shifted the huge curtain of spark filled smoke. It seemed certain that it would burn, but still. as on that dawn when Francis Scott Key was inspired to write our national anthem, when ever the smoke rolled away, it was therel
 The destroyer was damned with refugees, some six hundred of them, but standing room along the two steel cables that served as a rail. was reserved for gobs. and their chief interest was in the flag. kind of grim humor would go up from the deck every time it appeared and some gob might swear softly under his breath as a comrade be- side him called out, There she is.'
 Another wait of 15 minutes, and chen. at a new glimpse of the flag, greetings would go up:
 My God. shes still there,
 "You're damned right. she's still there"'
 say, fellows I ask you-ain't she the real things''
 This last was the nearest approach to cheer that was heard through out the night. but in it's complete spontaneity it expressed more than any cheer l ever heard.
 Just below the flag, on the front of the theatre, was huge gilt sign, reading. Tango de Ia Mort It was the title of movie that had been playing there when the city feli-'Tango of Death"=a fitting title In the midst of that tango of death" all night long the Ameri- can flag waved. the only flag in sight. And. "by the dawn's early light" standing out against the gut ted theatre. the flag still flew
 As soon as the fire abated enough to make landing possible, sailors went ashore and picked their way over to the theatre The whole build ing was gutted, and three of the walls had fallen. Only the front wall remained standing, And on that front wall from which even the weird gilt sign, Tango de la Mort" had been burned away, the Ameri- can flag still flew--a bit scorched, but whole It was a proud bunch or gobs that brought that flag back to the ship.
 Greek Mother of American Goh
 As soon as the city was cool. after the fire. Vice Consul Barnes went ashore to ask the Turkish military aovernor for new quarters for the consulate. He was given large ralace on the water front which seemed more or less miraculously to have escaped the fire. There he hoistcd a flag. which he had taken from the destroyer Litchfield and there it still remains. That flag. naturally, at once became the center of thousands of refugees. kept in some sort of order by detail Of forty or fifty gobs Here appeared drama, comedy and tragedy It is on record. of course. that not-one Amerl- can. either native or naturaiized, was lost. Hard deelsions had to be made, tary age in smyrna who had in their pockets honorable discharge papers from the American army. and who honestly felt that they were entitled to the American protection. Others who had taken out their first pa- pers" also felt that they had a right to our protection. They ran up Ameri- can flags over their places of busi- ness, wore small flags on their arms, or across their chests or hats to pro claim American nationality, in some cases placarded themselves with bit of paper bearing the work "Ameri-, can"-often misspelled. A very un- pleasa job fell to the petty officers and gobs of the navy who had to de- eide wether the use of the flag was I Itr nt htrr