Evening star., 1949-05-30

Re War dead
the European thrAtef and most @!
those wrTe In military cemeteries
when the program started BIT
many more Nrfe added Ia that
total by teams which followed ths
course af armies, aslng radio pFeas
and pulpit aud even the tasn cF3cf
10 spread the sufd uhAt the Amer
leans are locking tor theA dead
The usual burial nt soloFt N
the battlefield was with Ena ti.esa
cover as his sla oad and hls aa8 tas
as Identification Where the dos tag
had disappeared the dental charts,
one Of the many many records Tire
Army tried To keep on each aold'rT,
became an important means af
Identification. A chemical method
learned from the Fhi Vas USED 10
bring out the number each soldier
had TO have steneiled on his gar
ments The last three uiglts an
the clothes were the las, three S
his serial number Many bodies
we're Identified by ihis means
II Is estimated there were 49,
900 overseas deaths. Inelgdin.
those lost Hg aea Since The pre-
gram started In May 1916 about
$50 900 bodies have been brouaaIt
back. Between l4ooo and iso 600
are stu TO be returned About
i04 900 viii remain IN American
cemeteries oseraeAa Liberty ships
such as the Joseph Y Connolly
In the Atlantic and tlle Honda
Knot In the Pacific. were equipped
as mortuary vessels Most Of the
bodies returned To the United
States were buried In private
cemeteries, and in each Of these
cases the Government has given
the family $50 toward funeral
expenses, In all the program wili
cost 1900 900 900,
Difiicuit Decision.
Bereaved families faced . df-
ficult decision when the War De-
partment's letters vent Out IN
1916, with many tho information
that the body wR2 10 be moved
from o temporary 90 = perma-
nent cemetery oFerssas was .
determining factor II he waK 10
be moved ri all. lrs him be
brought home,
The young wife the soldier
married at Southern training
camp often elected. ~ next of
kin. to allow the body 10 remain
overseas when the mother wanted
II 70 be returned TO the home
town. The ouartsrmasisF Corps
stralafstened out many Of tflsse
disputes. 5ixty-two per cent of
the families asked 20 have the
body returned. One thought was
repeated again ard again In their
replies.
1t viii be q great oomforT 10
be able to visit his grave
NJ. ard Mrs. kibert HurEstrosn
os Thatcher. Utah. vito lost four
sons In different thesssrs ot the
war. requested that they Be re-
turned nj The same time 20 they
would not have 10 80 through
four rehuriAis. Ths Army cum
piled and they wcre buried To-
gether last June.
by far the most impressive eere-
monies are those Ai Arlington
lcemetery. where mass blrisls ns
% have been hid four times =
week IN every type Of weather
since the flrst one witnessed ~
president Truman on ocsob~r 20.
ipST. Four thousand tso hundred
have been buried 70 date st95
| / 900 more are expected. Families
M far away 40 The Paesfae Coast
have elected 10 have their sofaa
buried In Afiinxton. ard have
driven here on TIRE occasion
Rites Of tise Eastern Ortboccx
churches. BUDDHIST. MoisxmmsdAn
and Cunsucsan ceremonies have
| followed TIE reading os TIE
Protestant, Catholic ard Jewish
services by military ehspassfss.
Erect ycunx zervseernen cf the
funeral details take great pride IN
sisrir work. One Of equal rank
from tse same mervscs Of The De-
ceased Ia assigned 70 guide TIE
family while hNre, cosonsas 80
well ~ prsvates have bern IN Tia
mxrne narsals
A. Aritnxten preparations are
nov under way for The issxest
group burial os fsae wrax. On Jsns
ms Esae remains of tas 10 ns~n
fcznd an the wrecked hul1 cf tsas
Coast Guard ssnmaT1isson hhAp
Gerpens. wssseh sxplodad frrxa
enemy actson OF 0as<1Aseanaa.