Evening star., 1940-05-12
oeaceme Sport Trains Racing Pigeons for Important War
Life or Death
Often Hinges
On Flights
Army Is Prepared
p To Enroll Flying:
Messengers
By Bill Disnev, Jr.

~ BtH DfSnef, Jf.
Spring Is here, and 20 Is the
facing-pigeon season. but
Directly contrasted to the tradi-
tonal American sporting spirit with
which each Washington fancier to-
day is awaiting the arrival Of his
feathered pets In another Of the
weekly series of spring races is the
awe-inspiring possibility that some
day another man. or men, may be
waiting for one of these same birds
to save his life.
Today the members of the Capt.
tails several pigeon clubs were to
search the skies for the first sight
Of q bird which, at the most, may
be bringing them weekly honor
plus the small cash benefits of the
customary fanciers' pool.
Yet some day one of these Wash
ington birds may be winging on
far more serious mission which may
spare the lives of thousands of men,
armies or cities, nations or hemi-
spheres, just as their predecessors
once saved the Lost Battalion and
materially aided in the ultimate
allied victory of 1918.
It's probably the only instance in
the history of mankind in which
training for sporting purposes will
be utilized unchanged in matters Of
life and death.
Athletes may be better physically
equipped for warfare than those
who confine their muscular activity
to gardening, but boxers don't box
In the trenches, ball players don't
fight with bat and ball, and the best
olympic athletes are helpless with
out gun or grenade.
But pigeons during war times are
called upon to do nothing more than
they have been doing all their
lives-fiying to a home" destina-
ton as soon as they are liberated
to do so. The difference is: Today
they're flying with only metal
band on the leg to bring racing
victory to their owners; tomorrow
they may be soaring, with a metal
tube in place Of a band, bearing vital
news or pictures to their owners
fellow countrymen.
Capital rs Center.
Washington is especially adapt
able for learning some of the habits
and uses of pigeons in warfare as
well as in sport. The Capital not
only is one of the American Racing
Pigeon Unions major centers, but
a number of local fanciers sent
their birds lover there" in the last
war and a Washingtonian-Capt
David G. Buscall Of the Signal Corps
was the officer in charge of
pigeon service of the entire A. E. F.
Ominous as any m" Day for the
United States may sound, Buscall
says that the recruiting of United
States pigeons already has been
included In the all-enveloping plan
which will be put into effect if, or
whenever. America declares war.
Pigeons will be purchased direct
from fanciers for the United States
Army exactly as they were % years
ago." Buscall declares. Even now,
the Army is prepared to enroll all
necessary pigeons, as it has keymen
in every pigeon center in the coun-
try who are intimately acquainted
with fanciers. Thus, when the need
arises, these Army representatives
simply have to contact their pigeon
flying friends and recruit their
birds"
Back in II, an even dozen Wash
ingtonians sent birds to the front.
They were Charles Dusterhoff, Fred
Dismer, w. F. Dismer. Harry Fair
banks, w. H. Fugitt, w. S. Hixson,
" E. c. Koch, w. w. Koch, Phil
Krouse, c. A. Linthicum, Walter
Norwood and Cab Pennington.
Dusterhoff, Hixson, Will Koch and
Krouse are dead. but the rest still
are actively engaged in flying
pigeons today.
incidentally. fanciers as well as
their birds will be subject to re-
cruiting in the Army's pigeon serv-
ice in any future war involving the
United States, for men familiar
with the care and training of the
feathered speedsters will be required
to handle the birds enrolled. Today
the Army maintains only a skele-
ton pigeon service with headquar-
tiers at Fort Monmouth, N. j. But
pigeons were retained as a perma-
nent part Of the Army after the
armistice and figure integrally in
the general defense plan.
Two War Incidents.
) Two outstanding cases always
crop up whenever any mention of
pigeons in the last war Is made
One, that Of the famed "Cher Ami"
has been told and retold SO many
times that 1t fast is becoming an
inseparable part of pigeon lore.
Cher Ami, as almost every student
OF World War has learned long
= since, is the bird which, with one
eye out and his left leg hanging by
Its igaments, flew back to head
quarters with the message which
saved the Lost Battalion.
Under command of Maj. Charles
8. Whittlesey. this battalion Of the
30Sth Infantry Of the 77th Division,
had lain helpless for five days in
the woods. completely cut OF from
the allied forces and surrounded on
all sides by the Germans Machine
gun fire was being poured into the