Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-08-20
OBTAINS AID FOR
MANY LEGION MEN

The national rehabilitation commit.
tee of the American Legion at Wash
ington has thrown the spotlight on
many little obscure dramas of the
World war that for many seasons past
have played to an unresponsive house,
with the result that hundreds of dis
abled veterans, who of themselves
were unable to obtain relief, are now
on the road to health and happiness
There is the case of John Adams, dis.
abled veteran, to whom the Legion
extended helping hand.
In June, 1918, John Adams enlisted
at Pittsburgh, Pa, as a private in the
infantry. The following October,
while participating In bayonet drill, he
got tangled up with that instrument
and jabbed himself in the groin. He
was bandaged up by one of the camp
doctors. He got better and, though
his side troubled him now and then
he didn't take any particular pains to
tell the army surgeons about 1t when
he was examined for discharge, and
consequently got by the mustering-out
officers with clear bill of health.
John went back to his pre-war work
as stationary engineer and carried
on for some ten months. Then his old
bayonet wound began to assert itself
He had to give up the struggle ana
filed claim for compensation In De
cember, 1919. He was sent by the
veterans bureau to government hos
pital to be operated on several months
later for gland trouble In his groin.
Immediately following the operation
he grew worse, until it became neces-
sary to rate him as permanently and
totally disabled, no service connection,
however, being admitted.
From that time on Johns life has
been just one hospital after another
and John was still very sick man.
John had never been to school much.
and had to depend upon others to lead
him through the red-tape labyrinth
that shut off help. One agency after
another was lost in the maze. Then
some one steered John onto the ma
tional rehabilitation committee of the
American Legion. Things looked bet
ter from then on.
The Legion committee got the
names of his comrades in the service,
secured their affidavits affirming
Johns accident at camp; obtained the
name and affidavit of the medical of
ficer who treated John at camp, and
finally got together the historical data
necessary to establish the fact that
the boy was hurt In the manner, ON
the dste, at the place, just as he said.
But this was not enough. There
was no mention of bayonet stab any
where ia Johns official papers in the
| War department. Therefore, John
| could not have been stabbed. He was
| still "out of luck" in so far as connect
Ing his disability with service was con-
cerned. John had by now been hos
pitalized continuously for four years
and half. He was ragged. BE de-
spaired-but not the Legion. Outside
/ physicians and surgeons were called
In. The government doctors were In
teryiewed personally and finally, with
every bit of evidence that could be
secured from all sources, the case was
placed before the director Of the vet
Grams bureau at special conference
with Legion representatives.
Within few days John received a
check for several thousand dollars
from the United States veterans bu-
reau, covering the compensation he
had gone without for so many years.