Evening star., 1923-06-24
Veterans of Great War

President Harding has Endorsed the
Costello fund, which is being raised
to build in Washington a memorial
In memory of Vincent B. Costello, the
first District Of Columbia soldier to
lose his life in France.
The memorial fund is being raised
by Vincent B. Costello Post, No. 10,
American Legion, named after the
young hero. who was an employe
of the District government for many
years. Costello, who was twenty
eight years old when he was killed
in the Vosges mountains campaign
in France. was a member of the 53rd
Infantry of the 9Th Division.
The memorial will be in the shape
Of a permanent home here for Vim
post has already raised funds to pur-
chase the land on which the memorial
home will stand.
President Harding wrote to DR..
Walter F. Sullivan. commander OF the
post, the following letter:
Il have been much interested to
know of the ambitious program of
Costello Post, No. Is, to erect an
appropriate memorial to Vincent B.
Costello, the first District Of Columbia
soldier who lost his life in France
in the world war. l cannot too earn
estly express my approval and in
'dorsement of the program. I have
said many times, and cannot too often
repeat. that I feel that the erection
of memorials Of this kind in every
community is peculiarly calculated TO
develop a truly national patriotic
sentiment as well nigh nothing else
could do.
D
A joint committee of ex-service
mems organizations. authorized at a
recent conference. has been organized
and has taken preliminary steps toward
drafting all laws relating to the Vet
erans' Bureau and the care of dis
.abled veterans into a code which 1t
is hoped to present to the next Con-
gress.
The committee added to it's mem
bership a representative of the Mill
tary Order of the World War making
the membership consist of two repre-
sentatfyes each of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, American Legion, Dis
abled American Veterans one each of
the United Spanish War Veterans and
Military Order of the World War and
two officials of the United States Vet
erans' Bureau. Richard Seelye Jones
acting rehabilitation chairman of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, was elected
chairman, Mrs. F. Z. Wardwell Of the
legal division of the Veterans Bu-
reau. will act as secretary,
Many conflicts exist between clauses
OF existing statutes. and other clauses
are so worded as to make interpreta-
tion and administration difficult The
immediate purpose of the committee
is codif1cation and simplification. It
may at a later date undertake to
make recommendation. for new legis-
lation. Meetings will be held as often
nd nohp
crosses to point requiring commit
tee action, the next meeting having
been fixed for July 9.
Maj. W. w. Smith. chief counsel for
the Veterans Bureau, was instru-
mental in arranging the first confer
mis- division to the work. The joint
committee members are: Edwin S.
Bettelheim, jr., and Richard Seelye
Jones for the Veterans of Foreign
wars; John Thomas Taylor and Joe
Sparks. American Legion; H. H.
Raege 4 and Frank j. Irwin. Disabled
american Veterans; Charles E. Null
hern, chief of claims division, and
Fred E. Hamilton, chief of the in
spection division, for the Veterans
Bureau: John Lewis Smith for the
united Spanish War Veterans, and one
70 oe named for the Military Order
of the World War.
Commander Robert NJ. Zacharias of
the eCooley-McCullough Post, American
Legion. was elected delegate and Past
Commander William D. Simmons alter
nate TO the special convention of the
District of Columbia Department,
American Legion. June 20 and 30, at a
meeting OF the post at the Capital Yacht
Club Tuesday night. Mr.. Simmons pre-
sented the post with an ebony gavel.
After the business meeting Royal
Tinker in songs and Carl Edmonston at
the plano entertained.
Past Commander-in-Chief Robert G.
Moodside OF the Veterans of Foreign
Wars Of the United States has been
appointed by President Harding as a
member of the Battle Monument Com
mission for the purpose of marking the
battlefields Of American expeditionary
troops in Europe during the recent
world war.
Past Commander in Chief woodside
besides being commander-in-chief two
years and adjutant general a number of
years OF the veterans of Foreign Wars
of the United States, served with dis
tinction, enlisting as a buck private in
the eSpanish-American war and rising to
rank Of lieutenant colonel in the Penn
sylvania National Guard, and became a
captain in the 38th Infantry during the
recent world war, which was known as
Rock of the Marne," and was cited
for extraordinary heroism In reorganiz-
Ing his command at LIE Franquet,
France, in the face of heavy enemy
fire ON July %, 1918, and thereby pre-
venting an enveloping attack by the
enemy, for which he is cited I'm general
orders, and is the recipient of the dis
tinguished service cross. Can't. Wood