Ohio History Journal

520       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

but they love it more because they have seen its crimson colors

reproduced in the blood of America. We love this country, but

they love it more, because they have seen the sacrifices which have

made it what it is, and while we hope that we will have peace,

we are going to claim our right and recognize our right under

any circumstance, at any time, to protect our homes, our loved

ones, our country, and our flag, to maintain American institutions

and to preserve American traditions. I thank you. (Applause.)

 

ADDRESS OF MAJOR-GENERAL BENSON W. HOUGH

President Johnson next presented Major-General

Hough, who in behalf of the service men and women of

Ohio thanked the Society for its manifestation of inter-

est and the interest of the great state of Ohio in the

erection of the Memorial this day dedicated. President

Johnson spoke as follows:

Now, we have come to the last of the addresses of the day.

It is to be made by one of our own, Late Colonel of the 166th

Infantry of Ohio, 42nd Division of A. E. F., who recently re-

ceived a deserved recognition and honor, appointment to the Fed-

eral Judgeship of the Southern District of Ohio. I have the honor

to present Major-General Benson W. Hough, who will give a

response on behalf of the Service Men and Women of Ohio.

Judge Hough responded as follows:

Mr. President, Senator Burton, My Comrades, Friends, La-

dies and Gentlemen: It is no insignificant duty to be called upon

to state the congratulations and sentiment of more than a quarter

of a million Ohio service men. It is no small task, either, to tell

this Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, in adequate

terms, of the appreciation that is due that society for and in be-

half of this their splendid permanent Memorial. It is my belief

that this should be approached in modesty and humility, in a spirit

of thankfulness, for what has been accomplished, in a spirit of

thankfulness that the occurrences of 1918 have terminated and

with the voice of hope that those times may never be reenacted.

The man who conceived the idea of this project must have been

a patriot. To James E. Campbell and his associates, whose

thoughts developed into plans, and whose plans through effort

finally developed into this completed enterprise, all thanks must

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Dedication of Ohio's World War Memorial        521 cheerfully be given. I am sure it is the hope of the speaker and of those men whom he represents, that future wars may be ob- viated, and I agree with the Senator that the best guarantee for the obviation of future war is preparedness, adequate, at least, for protection and defense. The people of this country will make a serious error, if now

or in the future they fail to use their efforts, their funds and their services in developing and making the National Defense act that is on the statute books of the United States a continued and ulti- mate success. With that in view, we haven't much fear for the future. In 1918, that splendid one-armed French General said to his troops, "The assault is coming, the armament of the enemy is

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522       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

 

formidable, their numbers are legion, and they are selected from

the cream of the German Army, but you are prepared, your

armament is formidable, you have had time to develop your plans,

and more than all, there beat in your troops, both French and

American, the hearts of patriots, and when the attack comes, your

General says to you, 'You will stop that attack'." The faith of

that General was borne forth in success and those troops did stop

and turn back that great German drive of July 14, 1918, and it

was because of the faith that he had in the patriotism of his Army

that that thing became a possibility.

The State of Ohio contributed to the World War two hun-

dred and sixty-odd thousand soldiers of the Army, Navy and

Marine Corps; one-sixteenth of the entire American forces, more

than six per cent of the four million men that served during the

World War. Ohio participation, not only in numbers, but in re-

sults, bespeaks honor to the State of Ohio.

Seven thousand of those boys went to France and did not

return alive. Their bodies came back for the most part in wooden

boxes and caskets. Upon arrival, those bodies and caskets were

placed in the pier building at Hoboken, six or eight thousand at a

time. One night, just after the arrival of a fleet carrying the dead

bodies of our American soldiers, a fire broke out, and the next

morning down on those piers it was plainly noticeable that two

of the pier buildings had burned to the ground, and to the as-

tonishment of the spectators the next two buildings were un-

harmed. And why? Those other two buildings were filled to

capacity with the wooden boxes which were brought by the Amer-

ican fleet with the American dead, but there the Leviathan lay

across the way, and its great steel sides loomed up a hundred

feet from the water. Those sides burned and seared, with the

paint off, and that fire had come down in that direction and those

great steel sides had effectively stopped the flame from reaching

the dead bodies of our comrades. I say, with all the mishaps to

that great ship and all the history that is behind it, whatever the

cost to the Government of the United States may be, for keeping

that ship in service it is money well spent, and I thank God for

the Leviathan.

The Service Men and Women of the State of Ohio sincerely

and earnestly thank the President of this organization and his

associates living and dead, for the manifestation of their interest

and of the interest of the great State of Ohio, which we all love,

for the development and final completion of a memorial here to

the soldiers, both living and dead, as long as time may last.

Mr. Chairman, I congratulate you and again thank you on

behalf of all our boys. (Applause.)

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Dedication of Ohio's World War Memorial       523

President Johnson thanked Judge Hough for his

words of appreciation and paid merited tribute to Gen-

eral Orton, Chairman of the Building and Dedication

Committees:

The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society appre-

ciates these expressions from the War Veterans' representatives

who have spoken here today, but I want to digress for just a

moment to say that the Society as such cannot accept all of that

credit, without a word of explanation. We believe that it is

proper to give credit where credit is due, and while this work,

this Memorial, was erected under the auspices of this organiza-

tion, and its officers and many of its members, the yeoman work

in the development of the idea and in bringing it to completion;

I wish to explain, the burden of this labor and the development

of the idea and plan of the dedication fell upon the shoulders of

one stalwart in our organization. I refer to General Edward

Orton. (Applause.)

Benediction.

The program concluded with the benediction by the

Chaplain of the Second Field Battalion, First Division,

A: E. F., Rev. Dr. Arthur H. Limouze:

Almighty God, by whose favor we have come to this day,

wherein in humility and gratitude we have remembered the sac-

rifices of our sons and daughters, and wherein Thou hast privi-

leged us to erect this Memorial as a constant reminder to our State

and our Republic of the sacrifices of the past, be pleased, we pray,

to accept our pledge given to the world in the spirit of those who

laid down their lives, that they shall not have made their sacri-

fice in vain; and help us to pledge ourselves anew to the unfin-

ished task which with failing hands they passed on to us, from

Flanders Fields where they lie asleep, and may the grace of our

Lord Jesus Christ be with us always. Amen.

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