The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-03-05
COMMANDER POE
WILL VISIT HERE

Lieutenant Commander Edgar
Allan Poe, Jr. of the Coast Guard,
great-great nephew Of the famous
poet and author, Marine Corps
veteran and distinguished lawyer,
who is now military morale officer
for the Coast Guard in this Naval
District will arrive. here Tuesday
for a weeks. stay. This is his first
official visit in the district.
Commander Poe's duties are to
see that Coast Guardsmen in this
naval district make the most Of
their rights and privileges as Ell
listed personnel in the service of
the United States, and that every
provision possible is. made for
their families while these Coast
Guardsmen are in combat service
either at sea or in war theaters
abroad.
He is. a native of Baltimore and
was educated at St. Marks school,
scarborough, Massachusetts,, and
at Princeton university, class of
1918, where the name of Poe is
immortal in football annals. Com
mander Poe's father and five
uncles were all famous varsity
football players at Princeton BE-.
tween 1885 and 1901. His father,
Edgar Allan "Pete" Poe, was all
American quarterback two years
and captain of an eastern cham
pionship team. His uncle Arthur
was one of the great ends of all
time. His Uncle Johnnie Poe was
probably the most widely known
Of all as football playe-. and SOL
der of fortune in many parts Of
the world. He, met his death in
France in 1915 fighting with the
famous Scottish Black Watch regi-
ment. ?.
Commander Poe enlisted as a
private in the U. S. Marine Corps
a few days after the United States
entered World War in April, 1917
and served in France with the
famous Sixth Regiment of the Sec
oad Division which was engaged
in. most of the immortal battles
in France that made Marine Corps
history. Commander Poe was
wounded at Belleau Wood and hos
pitalized at Chaumont, France. He
had advanced from private to
captain in approximately one year.
Upon recovery he served in Lon
don as Marine officer of the guard
and was on the staff Of Admiral
William S. Simms, Commander Of
the U. S. Naval forces in European
waters.
After the war he was Junior Of
! ficer of the Marine guard on the
armored cruiser U. S. South Dako-
ia, flagship Of the Asiatic Fleet.
He saw action around Vladiovostok
and other points during the post
armistice fighting in Siberia, and
landed with the Marines in China
tc help control the Picking chaos
of 1920. During this entire tour Of
duty he was fascinated most by
the frenzied activities Of Japa-
IlcSG d11lly uSQtCIldllI W11OSS SO10
duty it was to manipulate bronze
receptacle at official meetings and
elsewhere in such a manner as to
intercept at the psychological mo-
ment all expectorations of the jap
anese commanding general who
had acquired the occidental habit
of tobacco chewing.
In 1921, Commander Poe return
ed to- the United States and was
assigned to the Marine barracks,
Sand Diego, California, where he
served for the next two years.
Then from 1922 through 1926 he
was commanding officer Of the
presidential guard on the famous
presidential yacht, Mayflower,
which was recently rebuilt into a
| combat unit of the Coast Guard.
During this period Commander
Poe became well acquainted with
late President Calvin Coolidge,