Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-12
THE NATIONAL GUARD
New Commander of the Local
Naval Battalion.
MEDALS FOR SERVICE
FAITHFUL OFFICERS AND MEN
WILL RECEIVE DECORATIONS.
Badges May Be Worn With Full Dress
and on Occasions of
Ceremony.
MEDALS FOR SERVICE

p1eUOn OF the details TeldtlNe " Tic lSSuih6
of service medals were the principal events
of interest during the week ending today IN
District National Guard circles Samuel w.
Stratton, who will be commissioned COM
mander of the Naval Battalion, is director
of the bureau CT standards, Department OF
Commerce and Labor. He graduated from
the mechanical engineering and military
courses at the University of Illinois In 1884,
receiving in addition to the collegiate de-
gree, a commission as captain in the Illinois
National Guard. He was connected with
the naval militia of Illinois at Chicago from
the date of its organization until 1901, hold
ing commissions as ensign lieutenant GUN
Tor grade), lieutenant and lieutenant COM
mander. Mr.. Stratton served in the navy
during the war with Spain as lieutenant,
and was attached to the U. s. S. Lancaster
and to the U. S. s. Texas.
The new commander of the Naval Battal-
ion was an instructor, assistant professor
and professor of physics and electrical en-
cheering at the University of Illinois until
1892 and from 1892 until 1901 was. success
sively, assistant professor, associate pro
fessor and professor of physics at the Uni
versity of Chicago. He took charge of the
bureau Of standards in 1901.
Medals Ready for Issue.
The official announcement relative to
service medals will provide that applica-
lions for the same will be made to the adj
jutant general, through military channels,
on blanks furnished for the purpose.
Decorations for long and faithful service
In the National Guard of the District Of
Columbia shall be of two classes, deSignat-
ed A and B respectively, the decorations to
be of designs to be approved by the COM
manding general.
Officers and enlisted men who have COM
pleted ten years of continuous and faithful
service in the National Guard of the Dis
trict of Columbia are entitled to receive the
decoration of class A.
For every additional five years Of continue
Gus and faithful service up to and includ-
ing twenty years there VIII be issued, upon
proper application. suitably inscribed bars
showing the length of such service. For
twenty-five years of continuous and faith
full service there will be issued a gold medal
of the standard design.
Every bar issued should be worn on the
ribbon Of the decoration.
officers and enlisted men who have COM
pleted six years of continuous service In
the National Guard Of the District OF Co
lumbia are entitled to the decoration Of
class B; provided that officers and enlisted
men who by faithful and continuous serv-
ice pass from class B to class A shall turn
in to brigade headquarters the badge of
class B on receipt of the badge of class A.
No decora ton will be awarded to any Of
ficer soldier unless he shall have per-
formed at least rs per centum of the mill
tary duty required of him for the period of
service for which the decoration is awarded,
and no decoration will be awarded for
period of service antedating June 80, 1887.
In computing the average per centum OF
duty performed, furloughs and leaves Of
absence, when granted by competent au-
thority are to be considered though 100
per centum of duty had been performed
during the periods covered thereby.
service G recognized hy the
regulations in force in the National Guard
of the District of Columbia is such service
as is unbroken by periods of not more than
thirty days.
No decoration will be awarded to any Of
fcer or enlisted man unless he is in the ac-
tive service of the National Guard of the
District of Columbia at the time his appli-
cation is approved by the commanding gen.
eral.
Wearing of the Decorations.
The badges and the various distinctive
marks for excellence in rife practice are
authorized to be worn on all occasions with
full dress and on occasions of ceremony
when dress uniform is prescribed. Such
decorations when worn shall be on the left
breast of the coat suspended by a ribbon
from bar of metal passed through the up
per ends and tops of the ribbons forming
horizontal line. The outer ends of this
line will be from three to four inches below
the top of the shoulder and in the following
order from the wearer's right to left:
/. Badges of campaigns which may be
authorized by the War Department
Q The medal presented by the District
of Columbia to officers and enlisted men of
the 1st District of Columbia Infantry, u. S.
", in the war with Spain.
3. Service medals issued from brigade
headquarters.
4. Service medals of subordinate or other
organizations
5. The various distinctive marks FOR eX-
cellence in rife practice.
6. Badges of military societies of men, or
members of such societies by inheritance,
who served in the armies or navfes of the
United States in the war Of the revolution,
the war of 1872, the Mexican war, war of
the rebellion, the Indian wars of the United
States or the Spanish-Amerlcan war, and
the incidental Instruction in the Philip
pines or the China relief expedition, or the
Regular Army and Navy Union of the
United States.
Ribbons for badges of campaigns, bril-
gade service medals. badges of societies
founded upon actual field service, in which
service the ~wearer has actively participant
ed will be issued upon approved applica-
ton, and may be worn on dress uniform
Except on occasions of ceremony and on
service uniforms at all times.
The wearing on the uniform of medals,
badges or ribbons not authorized is prohib-
tied as stated in the foregoing.
Modern Rifle Shooting.
In an article on modern rife shooting,
Capt w. G. Hudson Of the National Guard
of the state of New York, who is well and
personally known to all District National
Guardsmen who have at any time visited
Sea Grt or Creedmoor, makes from the
viewpoint of an expert several explana-
lions of exceptional value. especially to
military recruits, as follows:
The first thing that may be taken as true
of all projectiles, no matter how thrown, Is
that they fall toward the earth as soon as
the support is removed from them. just the
same as though they were not projectiles.
But even while they are falling the energy
applied is driving them ahead. From this
1t will be clear that no weapon, however
powerful, can drive bullet so fast that 1t
will go in straight line-it Immediately
begins to fall as soon as it leaves the bar
rel unless the latter has been directed up
ward to some extent, in which case, besides
its forward motion, it will rise until the up
ward force also impaired to it has been ex-
pended, and then begin to fall according to
the well-known law of falling bodles-slow-
~ at first but faster the further it falls.
The flight OF bullet, therefore, Is always
in curved line.