The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-06-09

medals for such ordinarily heroic
stunts as saving men from drowning,
he has been the star of a nationally
watched football game and he has
been made a real admiral for his ex-
PLOTS; and there doesn't seem to be
a great deal left for him to do.
X X *
A good deal of speculation has been
INDUCED in regarding his next VEN
ture. 1t has been reported that he
will take a voyage of aerial explora-
ton up the Amazon, across the Ara
bian desert. over the limitless wastes
of the Cobb or around the %inaccessi-
able peak of Mount Everest. Nobody
knows. Those, however, seem to be
about the only things left for him.
When Byrd was IA years old he
wrote in his diary that he was going
to explore the north pole when he
grew up. That was in 1903, at about
the time when the Wright brothers
were making the worlds first air
plane flight. Very likely 1t never en-
tered his head that when he finally
went to the north pole he would
travel through the air.
He went to the famous Virginia
Military Institute and the University
of Virginia for this education, and at
the university injured his foot while
playing football. In 1908 he entered
the naval academy at Annapolis,
where he became a football star: and
In 1911 he played quarterback on a
navy team that beat the army. In
this game Byrd injured his foot again
AN injury that nearly kept him out
Of the navy.
Graduating as an ensign in 1912,
Byrd spent three years with the fleet
and one year on the presidential
yacht, Mayflower; then, in 1916, he
was promoted to lieutenant, junior
grade. and retired by the medical
board Of the navy because Of MS in
jured foot. Undaunted. he went tc
Rhode Island to organize the state
naval militia, Of which he became
commander: and in 1917, when the
country entered the war, he entered
the naval aviation school at Pensa-
cola, Fla.
During the war Byrd got the ides
of a transatlantic flight by navy sea.
planes. and preached it to his super.
iors.~ The idea was accepted, and In
1919 he flew up the northeast At.
lantic coast testing navigation instru'
ments for the NC boats that were tx
make the trip. To his disappoint.
ment, he was not allowed to go him
self. but when the NC-4 became tn,
first airplane to fly across the At
1antic, Byrd was commended by tn
secretary of the navy for helping Il
make the flight a success.
Later in that year Byrd was de
tailed as navigator for the non-rigi
navy dirigible C-5, which was =
make a transatlantic flight. The shi
vas wrecked by a storm while await
ing the trip, however, and again Byr
missed his chance.
In 1921 he was sent to England {
help bring back the dirigible ZR-:
Just bought by the q. 8. government
This airship vas wrecked in q te.
flight, and Byrd-who was praised b
the British air ministry for drawer
In rescue work-again had missed HI
chance.
In 1924 the jinX hit him again. H
was assigned to the dirigible Shenar
doah for q flight from Alaska owe
the north pole to Spitzbergen; b,
the Shenandoah was wrecked befol
the flight could be undertaken. Ais
In 1924 Roald Amundsen asked tn
navy to give him a pilot for a mort
pole flight he was contemplating
Ehe navy recommended Byrd-but h