Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-09
BY BENJAMIN II. NAMM.

BH BENJAMIN N NAMAMs
TINE twelfth anniversary Of the
armistice sees some Of the
most touching mementos Of the
i American Army's sojourn in
France threatened with extinc-
ton. These are the war memorials
erected by units Of the A. 4. F. during
the war to commemorate important
engagements. They are on the sites
where the memorable events took place
To allow these monuments to disap-
pear Is to relinquiSh the last remnants
of the great American adventure
abroad.
True, there are the great cemeteries,
where rows of crosses mark the resting
place of our soldier dead. But these
cemeteries, noble shrines though they
are, were created some time after the
armies had departed. OF very recent
origin are the elaborate materials-the
work Of famous artists-which are
arising throughout France, under the
auspices of the American Battle Mon
uments Commission.
These recent structures are fitting
and inspiring, but they do not strike
the same note as those which stand
as the work Of the soldiers themselves
executed during the great days.
Memorials Simple In Plan.
The doughboy built no prtentious
memorials. Even had he possessed the
necessary talent, both time and facili-
ties were lacking. He worked only with
the material at hand. The result was
not imposing. but 1t was simple and
dignifled. Best of all, it was spon-
taneous. It was the soul Of the dough-
boy-expresSed In his own way.
There are "a of these battle monu-
ments in France, erected by official
orders Of the A. e. F.. Gradually they
are disintegrating. There Is no proper
agency to care for them. The United
States Government diSclaimS any re-
sponsibility for them. SO does the
French government.
Even the best-made Of memorials
need care. And these memorials are
not Of the most enduring construction.
The soldier who built under fire,
tillery, could seldom choose his loca-
ton or his material.
The story Of how these monuments
came to be erected Is vivid with Amer
lean spirit. When soldiers Of the 5th
Division captured Frapelle, In the
Vosges, they found a quantity of Ger
man cement With this material they
erected a concrete pyramid about 8
feet In height. Then they hammered
out an appropriate inscription and set
pair Of captured German machine
guns at the base.
Work Approved by Leaders.
So successful was the experiment
that the military authorities decided to
commemorate other important engage
mentS by the erection Of similar monu-
ments, and other monuments roSe-in
the midst of the st. Mihiel drive-in
the heat Of the Meuse-Argonne cam
paign. They commemorated such
varied events as the death of heroic
commander near Montfaucon, the cap
ture Of q railway at Brielles and the
liberation of 700 French women and
children at Mousay.
Especially did they commemorate the
crossing Of the MeuSe-building bridges
and swimming the swift current under
fire-a deed which Gen. Pershing char
acterized as zone of the most brilliant
features in the history Of the Ameri-
can Army in France"
Finally, they marked the furtheSt
advance of American troops to Brande-
Vile on November IL, 1918.
Soon the units of the A. E. +. de-
parted from France, leaving no one to
care for these memorials. Occasionally
an ex-soldier returned to France
passed a remembered spot and spied
q familiar monument. Too often its
condition was such as to urge him to
write home in an effort to have the
proper authorities care for the struc-
ture. But who were the proper au-
thoritiesp That question Is still I'M
answered.
with such meager funds as they
could assemble, in amounts Of 81 and
more, the veterans themselves have
shouldered the burden, which Is q
heavy one. The monuments are nu-
merous and scattered. To care for
them requires not only money, but
time, organization and the ability to
supervise. Fortunately, few Ameri-