The War Pigeon Who Saved the ‘Lost Battalion’ BRAVE LITTLE CHER AMI
Like most states, Indiana has expungement laws on the books. The concept evolved because of the difficulties that go hand-in-hand with a spotty criminal history. In theory, the process of expungement offers people a second chance by limiting public access to records of their past misdeeds. There’s a common misconception, however, that says expungement calls for the c omplete removal or destruction of the subject’s criminal record. This is not the case. The State Police maintain a central repository for criminal history information in Indiana, and our expungement statutes are designed to limit public access to information about a past conviction. This applies only to the central criminal history repository. No records are deleted, and no information is erased. This can lead to complications. For example, if you’ve been pulled over by police in the past and refused a chemical test, this fact likely appears on your BMV record. As a result, anyone who checks your BMV record can see your chemical test refusal and infer a DUI / OVWI arrest. Expungement also doesn’t mean that past convictions can’t be used against you by the state. Remember: your criminal record has been hidden, not destroyed . Expunged conviction records can still be accessed by the state, which allows the prosecution to reach back into your past for purposes of sentencing enhancements. Getting an expungement doesn’t mean you no longer have any criminal convictions; all it means is that not everyone can look at your criminal convictions as part of the public record. MARC’S TIPS AND TRICKS EXPUNGEMENT IN THE STATE OF INDIANA NOT EVERYTHING IS AS IT SEEMS Long before the invention of radios and cellphones, homing pigeons were used to send messages as early as the sixth century. During WorldWar I, war pigeons carried lifesaving messages past enemy lines for the American and French armies, often being wounded in the process. In 1918, Cher Ami, a black check hen used by the U.S. Signal Corps, became the most famous of them all. On Oct. 2, the United States 77th Division was trapped behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, a three- month push by the Allies during the final throes of WorldWar I to force the Germans to surrender. It became the bloodiest battle in U.S. history. For six days, the encircled division endured relentless attacks and suffered heavy casualties, but their orders were clear: don’t retreat and don’t surrender. The division dispatched two homing pigeons with requests for help, but both birds were shot down. When friendly fire began raining down on the 77th, Major Charles White Whittlesey felt he had no choice but to send the last pigeon, Cher Ami. The pigeon’s desperate note read: “We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it.”
As Cher Ami rose from the brush, she was shot down, to the despair of the watching soldiers. However, after a few seconds, she fought her way back into the air, flew through a torrent of gunfire, and made it to division headquarters 25 miles away. She had been shot in the breast, the eye, and the leg.
Because of Cher Ami’s brave flight, 194 of the original 554 men of the 77th Division survived the battle. One month later, WorldWar I came to
an end. Cher Ami survived the war as well, thanks to the surgeons who performed emergency surgery on her. One soldier even carved her a little wooden leg. She became a well-known hero to both soldiers and children in the States. For her service in Verdun, the French Army awarded her the Croix de Guerre, and she was inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame. Cher Ami finally succumbed to her wounds in June of 1919 and is now on display in the Smithsonian alongside Sergeant Stubby, a terrier who served 18 months on the Western Front.
CLASSIC FRENCH OMELET Ingredients Inspired by SeriousEats.com
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3 large eggs
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1 tablespoon unsalted butter
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Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
1. In medium bowl, beat eggs with plastic fork until last traces of white are just mixed in. Season with salt and pepper. 2. In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter, swirling over medium heat until foamy but not browned. Add eggs, stirring rapidly with fork, while moving skillet to agitate eggs. Break up all curds by scraping bottom of skillet as they form. Stop stirring when eggs are softly scrambled and creamy (but loose enough to come together into a single mass), 1–2 minutes. 3. Using fork, gently spread egg in an even layer around skillet and scrape down any wispy bits around the edges. The top surface should be loose and creamy, but if still liquid, swirl skillet to bring raw egg to the edge where it will set faster. 4. Remove from heat. Tilt skillet up by handle. Using fork, gently roll omelet down over itself until nearly folded in half. Using fork, push omelet to edge of skillet so that the lower edge of egg just begins to overhang. Use fork to fold overhanging edge of egg back over, closing omelet. 5. Turn omelet out onto plate. It should have the seam on bottom.
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