Evening star., 1949-05-30

the route OF the great arilIt over
the hump OF the Himalayas from
Assam. India. 10 Chungking. Chi
ma was even more hazardous for
the body searchers. Chinese ban
dts fired on sight. High up on a
glacier In Tibet the wreckage Of
an American plane had been spot
ted. British mountain climbers
were consulted and their verdict
reluctantly accepted. The plane
is in a spot that is impossible to
reach.
In closing the search Of the
Hinalayas. Col. E r. Stanford =
Biunden. commanding officer Of
the American Graves Registration
work in that theater. wrote
If my own son were out there.
there is nothing more l could do. -
Rubber Firm Aids Search.
In Africa the search and re-
covery teams found their work
had been aided by the Firestone
Co. which buried e5 Americans In
the cemetery Of It's Liberian rubber
plantation. Most of them had
crashed along the Gold Coast In
the short South Atlantic hop from
the hump Of Brazil on the air
route TO Cairo. At the end OF the
African search the teams were able
to report that all bodies had heen
recovered except for two flyers
shot down behind the German
lines In Tunsia and some nerchan,
mariners buried on the beaches oil
the east coast.
Most OF the bodies were from
the European theater and most OF
those were In military cemeteries
when the program started But
many more were added 10 that
total by teams which followed the
course OF armies. using radio. press
and pulpit and even the town erier
TO spread the word that 'the Amer
leans are looking for their dead"
The usual burial OF q soldier In
the battlefield was with q mattress
cover as his shroud and his dos TAG
as identification. Where the dog -tas
had disappeared the dental charts
one OF the many many records the
Army tried TO keep on each soldier
became an important means Of
identification. A chemical method
learned from the FBI was used 70
bring out the number each soldier
had to have stenciied On his gar
ments. The last three disits on
the clothes were the last three Of
his serial number, Many bodies
were identified by this means.
II is estimated there were 3be.-
900 overseas deaths. including
those lost at sea. Since the pro-
gram started In May. is4e. about
I5o. 900 bodies have been brought
back. Between $4,000 and 10 600
are still TO be returned. About
i04 900 will remain In American
cemeteries overseas. Liberty ships
such rs the Joseph v. Connolly
In the Atlantic and the Honda
Kno. In the Pacific. were equipped
as nlortuary 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 aii the program viii
cost $500 .00o. 900.
Difscuit Decision.
Bereaved families faced q dif-
fcult decision when the War De-
pwtmens's letters vent out In
i046. With many the information
that the body was 70 Be moved
from temporary 10 O peyma-
nent cemetery overseas Was q
determining factor II he was 70
be moved at all. let him be
brought home.
The young wife the soidaes
married at q Southern training
camp often elected. a. next oa
kin. TO allow the body 10 remain
overseas when The mother wanted
is 70 Be returned 10 the home
sown. The ouartermAsteg Corps
|sfratghtened out many os these
disputes. stxty-swo per eent Of
the families asked 70 have The
body returned. One thought was
repeated again and again tn their
replies.
IT win be 0 great comfort 70
be able 10 visit his grnse~
Mr.. and Mrs. Albert BsHEszron
of Thatcher. Utah. vtso ioss four
sons In different sfseaters of ths
war. requested that tsssy be re-
turned at the same time % ss<y
would not have 70 90 tnrosssh
four renursals. Tne Army com
plaed and thsy wers buried to-
geslser last June.
BY far the most impressive o~ss-
mraiea are these NJ Arlington
Cemetery. where naM buriais cf
20 have been heid four times .
week tn evsTJ type of weather
xiuce the drst one witnessed hy
President Truman cu ocsoher 70.