<strong>AFS</strong> VIGNETTESIt has come to my attention as we steadilyapproach the 100th anniversary of <strong>AFS</strong>’sfounding, that memories (at least for someof us) are perhaps becoming a bit dim, andevents and happenings that we used to recountover glasses of wine are being lost through lackof recording.Thus, while attending the President’sAwards Luncheon on November 19, 2010,I thought it might be fun to compile a recordof happenings not normally a subject of“official” history, but episodes that were fun,or poignant, or by their very nature give aflavor of the “early days” of the evolutionof <strong>AFS</strong> from the two world wars throughthe establishment of the student programsbasicallythe period from 1914 through 1964.I asked Tachi Cazal (President of <strong>AFS</strong><strong>Intercultural</strong> <strong>Programs</strong>) and Carlos Porro(Editor of the <strong>AFS</strong> Janus) if I could submitsome of my remembrances and seek otherindividuals involved with <strong>AFS</strong> from thatperiod to submit some of theirs to me foreventual compilation in a book, which wouldhopefully be financially beneficial to <strong>AFS</strong>.I received an enthusiastic reception.I more than welcome your input, ideas,suggestions, and—especially—your memories.I can be reached at sg@galatti.com.In the present issue, I have submitted twovignettes describing the early days of <strong>AFS</strong>. WhileI cannot submit proof of my attendance at thedepicted events, I rest assured that no one isable to contradict me! Please let your memorieswander over the fun, poignant, and memorablehappenings and experiences.- Stephen Galatti, Jr.Editor’s Note:Stephen Galatti’s son, Stephen Galatti,Jr., has been actively involved with<strong>AFS</strong> and its programs for many years.A graduate of St. Mark’s School andHarvard University, he worked asa volunteer for <strong>AFS</strong> in the 1950’sand served as a key member of the<strong>AFS</strong> Staff in the years following. Weare pleased to share his personalrecollections of <strong>AFS</strong> in these vignettes.A. PIATT ANDREW“He certainly can hold his liquor,”A. Piatt Andrew thought to himself ashe sat in the back room of the caféon the Rue de Rivoli in Paris withtwo French army officers. One wasa Captain, while the other, raising aglass of cognac to his lips, appearedto be a senior officer. Indeed, he wasthe commander of one of the FrenchArmy’s sixteen divisions. The Captainwas his aide and a longtime friendand distant cousin of the American,Andrew, an ardent Francophile, whohad been a member of the U.S. Houseof Representatives, representingGloucester and its environs inMassachusetts.Ever since the war of 1870, whenthe Germans had insinuated spies fromAlsace within French army lines, theFrench Army had banned all but Frenchnationals from the battle zone. Andrewhad journeyed to France in hopes offinding some means of serving in thewar that had broken out in August, 1914.Being denied direct service withthe French Army, all he had been ableto involve himself with was organizingthe treatment of French soldiers by theAmerican Hospital at Neuilly. The majorproblem was that, lacking ambulancesor motor transport, the woundedsoldiers were for the most part placedon empty horse-drawn ammunitionwagons returning from the front. Uponreaching the outskirts of Paris, thewounded were unloaded and left on thedepot grounds, thence awaiting pick-upby the various hospitals.Andrew had dragooned a numberof French taxis to transport thewounded to the American Hospital,but the taxis were limited in numberand not equipped to carry the moreserious cases. Frustrated, he dreamedof developing a force of ambulancesand drivers. He had already contactedwell-connected people, like WilliamSleeper, a successful businessmanin New England, who were eager toassist in his plan. The major obstaclethat he faced was the delays in gettingthe wounded to treatment. Themore seriously wounded tended notto survive the rigorous trips on thewagons and even those less damagedhad their wounds aggravated.Andrew’s solution was to prevailupon his friend and cousin, the Captain,to invite his Division Commander todinner and, well-stoked with liquidrefreshment, to attempt to use hisrenowned powers of persuasion toconvince the General to permit theas yet non-existent ambulances andAmerican drivers to enter the battlezone and retrieve the wounded fromthe front lines in violation of FrenchArmy regulations.No records of the amount offortification or bottles consumed havebeen found, but legend states the“dinner” lasted well into dawn. In anyevent, Andrew received the General’sassent and the American Field Servicewas born, eventually servicing 15 of theFrench Army divisions and numberingsome 2,500 drivers.After the United States enteredthe conflict, in 1917, it became evidentthat its generals had neglected toprovide for casualties. After a lengthyrecruitment campaign, most of the <strong>AFS</strong>Drivers agreed to form the AmericanAmbulance Corps and were, more orless, integrated into the U.S. Army.<strong>AFS</strong> JANUS • SPRING 2011 • 8
smile on her face hundreds of years. Conversely, a song can change within 30 seconds of listening to itand can go through multiple changes throughout the length of the song.So utilizing the four elements we have control over and changing them throughout a song’s structure canresult in a vibrant and dynamic mix. Mixing involves a fair amount of slight of hand—you’re deciding whatinstruments the listener is focusing on and you can change their focus within the mix at any point. A goodexample of this is going from a vocal melody to another instrument soloing. You’ve now seamlessly takenthe attention of the listener from the vocal to the solo.9
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