The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-01-05
NEW STATE SENDS
|. QUOTA OF SOLDIERS.
Total Of ses Enlisted With Uncle
Sans Troops at Oklahoma City
During the Past Year.

Oklahoma City, Jan. a. Oklahoma
City furnished more than three hun
dred men for Uncle Sans fighting
force during 1911 according to the
statement Of the three recruiting of
ficers operating in the city. OF these
the navy drew the greatest number
with 1876, the army came second with
1888 and the marine corps gained 20,
a total of 39S.
The figures of the marine corps are
not complete, on account of the re-
cruiting Office here being a sub-station
and only the records for the past sew
en- months being on hand. The rest of
the records have either been misplac-
ed or forwarded to headquarters.
Though the army gained less than
the navy in Oklahoma City, it is be-
lieved that in the state it gained a
great many more. Oklahoma CITY is
headquarters for the entire state and
the records of the district show that
624 soldiers left the state during the
year The navy has a recruiting sta
tion at Muskogee, but the figures of
that Office were not given.
That it is not an easy matter to
obtain a job following the flag in any
of the three branches of the service is
evident from the number that were
weighed and found wanting during the
year. The acceptances above resulted
from 1887 applications. The army re-
jected 1900, the navy 515 and the ma
rine corps 83. The reflections were all
for physical reasons and it was stated
at the army station that the accept
ances have been less than half of those
of last year on account of the rigid ex-
aminations required by the comman-
der, Lieutenant E. M. Offley
Many of the reflections for the army
are caused by the prevalence Of what
is known as fiat footedness, which has
become a NOTED question among army
surgeons. The regulations provide
that the soldier shall have foot with
high instep, arched like ballet
dancer This is claimed to be the nat
ural human foot and the one that
stands up on the long hikes. The sol
der without good foot may be brave
as lion and willing in every way, but
if his feet are not good, he can't get
there. Therefore the fiat footed mefp
have been held heretofore as untitled
for army duty.
But now comes new theory Ger
tain army surgeons have noticed tfat
Indians and negroes are fiat footed
races and they have decided that it
comes from not wearing shoes and is
the real natural human foot. They OBJ
served further and noticed that the
negroes in the Philippine service out
hiked some of the whites and it had
become necessary to oyerookl fiat-foot-
edness in order to obtain recruits for
the negro outfits. The Indians endur-
ance ON long march is proverbial
an dnow the medicos are wondering
II they have not been mistaken in keek
ing the fiat-footed men out of the army
The matter is now being discussed
and "slew-footed" soldiers may yet re-
place the man with the dainty arched
instep.
The small number of men recruited
for the marine corps in Oklahoma City
is explained by the smallness of the
crop. There are only a little more
than 5000 men in the entire service
and 1t is usually full. The examina-
tions are also more rigid in some par
ticulars than for either the army or
navy. But the smallness of the crop
is the main reason. 1t was stated that
during the past year men with good
discharges were denied re-enistment
because there was no place for them.
Most of the men enlisted for the
army during the past few months ha1
been for the coast artillery. This is
a service for which it is hard to obtain
recruits as it is little known. but it is
claimed to be one of the best branches
on account of the opportunity for extra
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