The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-03
QUEER NAMES in THE ARMY.

QUEER NAMES IN THE ARMY.
Some are Genuine, But Others the Prod
uct of Inventiveness.
Uncle Sam has to be mighty partic-
ular when he picks out his first ser
geants," said a battle SCARED old fell
low who wore the yellow chevrons of
first sergeant of cavalry.
"'Tisn't every man in company can
twist his tongue about the names that
come upon roll call, and, all things
equal, the chap with the handy tongue
gets the diamond above his three
stripes
II any one doubts the necessity for
ease and flexibility of speech just let
him get a muster roll of one of the reg
ular regiments in the service and try
to read the names Of the enlisted men
hurriedly. A knowledge of English
Irish, Polish, Russian, German, Swe-
dish, Italian, Norwegian, French, and a
half dozen other languages would be
of great value, for all these and many
more nationalities are represented and
so mixed up in the arrangement of che
rolls that a man needs ready adapta-
biiity of speech to make the quick
changes from German gutturals to
fluent French or from Norwegian aspi-
rates to Welsh consonants.
Uncle Sam cares not rap for the
name his soldier bears; the man be-
hind the cognomen is what the govern
ment looks at. The doctors who exam
inc him and find out all about an ap-
plicant so far as physical conditions
govern his life and habits, but even the
shrewdest officer on recruiting duty is
not able to tell whether a man gives
his real name or has made one up on
the spur of the moment. Here are a
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regiment quartered at one of the posts
in this state which show a fairly wide
range of speech:
= Genireaux, Fork, Noragong, Nuno,
Vivcores, Wellschwrack. Brylski, Jrs,
Pichkowsky, Huic, Sikora, Upaike,
Smink, Penafeather Schlehr, Albanian,
Bohonan, Wilkaitis, SZekely.
In the cavalry branch of the army
are notable four who rejoice in these
names:
Shoemaker, Shoecraft, Shoesmith,
Shine.
Looking over the hospital roster one
is struck by some queer freaks in NOM
enclature. This part of the army is
comparatively small, yet in the corps
are found such apt names as:
Health, Payne, Pummel. Livengood,
Hillsinger, Leech, Strong, Halliwell,
Uppencamp, JOY.
1t would be mighty sick man that
couldn't make pun with those names,
and, when well enough to hobble
around the cooks tents, have some fun
with Baker, Phair, Omelette, Tee. Beer.
Rice, Wood, Ash, or Chip Niccum, all
of whom are mustered as company
cooks, and are showing the natives in
the West Indies or the Philippines how
Yankee soldiers are fed.
In the artillery branch, which, by
reason of being stationed on the coasts,
is largely recruited from the foreign
element, odd sounding names are fire.
quent The following are samples:
Omensetter. Gackiewicz, Sherfesee,
Bolerjack, Swantak, Henwetter, Proch-
aska, Zwoboda, Yourt Hightower,
Twellyan, Znanzig.
There is, of course, no way of know
ing what a mans name be except the
one he chooses to be known by, and
gives at the time he enlists. By that
name he is called, unless, as something
happens, a soldier becomes tired of
using an assumed name and applies to
the authorities at Washington and has
his own name substituted on the rec
ords. But it is easy to guess that many
names are happily assumed in the pres
ence of the recruiting officer. For in
stance, it is not hard to understand the
emotions that actuated the men who
gave these names on entering the
army:
Job, Love, Hope, Snap, Pluck, Be
ginner, Done, Trump, Lost.
A few years ago the army was full
of Sullivans; then came a crowd of
men who gave their names as Corbett
when making application. Every prize
fight of Importance results in large
percentage of the men who present
themselves for examination giving the
name of one or the other of the prin-
cipals. Fortunately, these candidates
are of class that lead lives which
thoroughly unfit them for soldering,
and they are rejected. Just now the
favorite names of this class are Shar-
key and Sloan.
Such names are common in the in
fantry as Foot. Walker, Leggitt; in the
cavalry as Rider, Saddler, Sword; in
the artillery and ordnance as Ball,
Gum and Cannon. Perhaps these are
genuine, and If so the condolences are
more marked. Perhaps the names
were taken by recruits in spirit OF
jest, or with desire to conceal their
identity, for it is fact that many OF
the best men in the ranks of the army
have gone into the service to avoid
some trouble, real or fancied, under as.
sumed names, and. once in touch with
the life of soldier, have re-enlisted
using the false name in order to rear
all the benefits that accrue from con
tinuous service.
Recruiting officers all over the coun-
try now report that a better class OF
men than ever before are offerins
themselves for enlistment. and proba
bly, on this account the old aliases will
gradually be obliterated from the rolls
with the muster-out of the present
holders.
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