THE AMERICAN LEGION FOR MEMORIAL TREES 



MANY comrades of members of the American Legion 

 have "Gone West" but now trees-living, growing 

 memorials of their heroism, are being planted as a 

 sign that their comrades have not forgotten. In the 

 opinion of many Joyce Kilmer, the poet, never did a 

 greater thing than when he wrote "Trees." It was not 

 long afterward that he died in the service of his coun- 

 try. Kilmer's little poem has become the inspiration for 

 tree planting on a scale of which even he never dreamed, 

 for now the American Legion has coupled its forces with 

 the American Forestry As- 

 sociation in memorial tree 

 planting. The word has 

 gone out to every post, in 

 every part of the world 

 where there is an organiza- 

 tion. This letter has just 

 come to the Association 

 from American Legion 

 headquarters : 



Mr. P. S. Ridsdale, 

 The American Forestry 

 Association, 

 Washington, D. C. 

 My dear Sir: 



Allow me to acknowledge 

 and to thank you for your 

 letter dated March 31, also for 

 the copy of your March num- 

 ber which is being forwarded 

 under separate, cover. 



In view of your previous 

 letter and the desire of Nation- 

 al Headquarters to co-operate 

 with you in the great work 

 that your Association is ren- 

 dering, I am pleased to be able 

 to enclose a copy of Organiza- 

 tion Bulletin No. 38 with its 

 subject "Trees as Memorials." 

 This bulletin, I may say, has 

 been forwarded to every State 

 Department in the Union as 

 well as to all our possessions 

 and to the Department in for- 

 eign lands wherever they are 

 established. Assuring you of 

 the desire of National Head- 

 quarters for a continuation of 

 hearty co-operation, I am, 

 Sincerely yours, 

 Russell G. Creviston, 



Director of Organization. 



The Bulletin No. 38 the letter mentions as having been 

 sent to every post follows : 



THE AMERICAN LEGION NATIONAL 



HEADQUARTERS 



Meridian Life Building, Indianapolis, Indiana 



BULLETIN 



Organization 



Xo. 38 

 Subject : Trees as Memorials. 



The several Department Adjutants are urged to notify their 

 several Posts that should they desire to include the planting of 

 trees in their memorial activities, valuable information can be 

 obtained by communicating with the American Forestry Associa- 

 tion whose address is 1410 H Street N. W., Washington, D. C. 



National Photograph Company 



PRESENTATION OF THE MARKER 



Mrs. Walter Reed 



at Walter Reed Hospit 



American Legion Post 21 



At the same time advantage should be taken of this oppor- 

 tunity to emphasize the fitting part played by the proper setting 

 of memorial trees to any form of memorial as well as to 

 encourage both the protection and preservation of all trees now 

 growing within our cities. 



Due to the great interest that is being displayed throughout 

 the entire country and to the many instances where trees are 

 being planted in this relation, the American Forestry Association 

 is compiling a National Honor Roll for all Memorial Trees. In 

 order that the American Legion may co-operate in a very worthy 

 project, the several Department Adjutants are urged to request 

 that where their respective Posts have taken any active part or 

 know of instances in the community where trees have thus been 

 planted, that full particulars be forwarded to the American 

 Forestry Association at their address given above. 



Franklin D'Olier, 

 National Commander. 



One of the first posts to 

 plant a memorial tree is 

 American Legion Post 21 

 at Walter Reed U. S. A. 

 General Hospital in Wash- 

 ington, D. C. Marking the 

 anniversary of the decla- 

 ration of war against Ger- 

 many the Post planted a 

 maple on the main drive 

 just across the sunken gar- 

 den from the administra- 

 tion building. Mrs. Walter 

 Reed, widow of the famous 

 Army surgeon, for whom 

 the hospital is named, pre- 

 sented for the American 

 Forestry Association a 

 bronze marker to be placed 

 in concrete near the tree. 

 The marker was presented 

 to Lieutenant Paul Foote, 

 of Montana, commander of 

 Post 21. The committee 

 representing the American 

 Forestry Association was 

 Mrs. Reed, Mrs. Richard 

 Cook, her daughter, the 

 wife of Colonel Cook, 

 Major-General George A. 

 Richards, Major W. F. 

 Bevan, Major R. W. Shu- 

 feldt,. Carl A. Droop, all members of the Association. 

 Behind the Fort Myer Band, Colonel James A. Glennan 

 and the hospital staff, followed by the American Legion 

 Post and nurses all in uniform, marched from the admin- 

 istration building to the tree where a hollow square was 

 formed. Here Mrs. Reed presented the marker to Lieu- 

 tenant Foote and helped to shovel earth over the tree 

 while an appropriate program marked the ceremony. 

 On April 26 the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Post of the 

 American Legion dedicated 29 trees in memory of their 

 comrades. At this ceremony the United Daughters of the. 

 Confederacy and veterans of other wars had part. The 



resents the bronze marker for the memorial tree 

 [ospital to Lieut. Paul Foote, commander of 



20S 



