The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-12-22
SCHOF|ELD OFFICER
YOUNGEST COLONEL
Robert [. HIrst Recently PfomOt-
ed From First Infantry, Has
Advanced Very Rapidly

Colonel Robert L. Hirst, Infantry, IL
the newest colonel In the United States
Amy. The promotion Of Colonel Henry
A. Green to the vacancy In the list Of
brieadier general on November rs gave
this oficer, who served at schoheld
Barracks as lieutenant colonel Of the
First Infantry until four months ago,
his advancement
Colonel lIirst's rise in the service h.
Of great interest because IL Is just
what army mon say an officers career
should be. lie was graduated from
West Point at the age Of twenty.one
and one-half years. served four years
rs second lieutenant. and eight years
! as a FIRST lieutenant, becoming cap
tain on twelve years service. He
spent six years rs major and three
and one half years as D lieutenant
colonel and became colonel just four
weeks before his fftieth birthday. He
thus reaches command rank at an ex-
cellent age, with fine prospect, be-
cause OF his comparative youth, Of be.
coming brigadier general before his
retirement.
win Be Senior Colonel
Colonel IIirst will be the senior Of.
ficer Of his grade three years before
he fetires as there is no officer who
now ranks him who is his innior IN age.
The youngest colohels Of infantry after
Colonel Hirst are tifty-three and one
half years old. They are Colonies Da.
yid c. Shanks, Infantry, and Omar
Bundy, Sixteenth Infantry. Colonel
IIirst is the fifteenth infantry liehten-
ant colonel to receive promotion since
January I, 1914
II is doubtless particularly gratifying
to Colonel Hirst as he looks back, on
finding himself a colonel of infantry
while not yet fifty years old ana thai
this rise has not been due TO any pull
or jumping a grade at the expense Of
his brother officers. II Is, however,
doubtless true that the careers Of Col
onels Shanks, Bundy and Hirst are
phenomenal in the sense that they were
helped by the Spanish American war
and the Philippine insnrrectfon, and
the consequent expansion OF the army.
In Colonel Hirst 3 ease he had good
luck from the start.
Luck with Elm
Entering the army in the days OF
/ fNEifhVhNdi udDptHtu. W
get into a regiment in which number
Of old officers for one reason or another
dropped out or were suddenly promot.
ed. Hence his pheiiomenal record OF
becoming first lieutenant at twenty.si1
years when other officers served twelve
or fourteen years IN the grade Of sec
ond lieutcnant. Legislation has al.
ready smoothed ont MANY Of the In,
Iequalities inrank teaased by the old
regimental promotion middle and CD
onel Hirst comes TO his new rank al
exactly the time when he would have
done so if promotion had been Inca
from the start of his army career but
he has been the ghiner In that he die
not linger long ii the subordinat.
grades. tt0D He3n y.
Colonel Hirst left here last June OF
a four months leave and was relieved
from assignment t6lthe First Infantry
while absent and plated on the detach
ed list and ordered TO Wisconsin as in
spector-instructor Of the national guard
OF that state. Colonel Hirst returned
TO Oahu on the September transport Il
settle his affairs here and returned Il
the mainland the last Of that month.
b .#