Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-10
OUR SOLDIERS ON THE, TEXAS BORDER
~ FHEDERIC J. HAsIlIN

broken arm, shattered leg and n
bandaSed head reading the big head
lines OF an American newspaper which
said Terrible Condition on the Bor-
der Troopers Get Their Feet Wet"
This newspaper, called BY the New
YORK Times a Soldiers Paper" Is
known as tho First Illinois Cavalry
man"
Thus tho National Guard does not
lark entertainment on the border. but
neither does ~ lack hard training and
work When the government spends
lot Of money on what. after all. aD-
pears 10 he nothing more serious than
preparedness measure, II is a. least
gong to sec that the men arc PEE
pared Every man on the border is
going 10 be . soldier before Crcle
Sam gets through win him Hence.
tic lonC mixes detailed by Inc Amer
lean dailies. in which many OF the
boys return 20 camp Frustrated and
ready for bed. hence tho excessive
drills which make the mon appreciate
the fu,iliiy Of golf as AN cxer,tsc:
and hence the long hours o. target
practice and field mareuvcrs Al hrst.
the men we're iuclincd 70 rebel against
such hard work In such ho, citrate
|, was at this time That many fond
parents ~ home began 70 start asita-
tons concerning conditions on the
border. spurrcd on ny tho detailed ac-
counts ~ the remarkable fcats per
formed in their sons letters Now.
the men have ceased 10 braE anout
'hcir own Clcvcruess, and take n thirty
mile nike as matter OF course
sickness Due Ia CnrcIcssnc,s.
According 10 our new authority. tn.
Illinois tnva!ryman. u'hen tho men 20
sick IL is due to some car.IcsauAss q
tn"ir own. They either eat ice creal
or drink pop IN climate where suu
a thiuS Is disastrous. or they attcnif
TO lie shirtIcss and ha,lcss ~ tho 81
in order 20 acquire deep coat Of to
and Incidentally. week or so In tie
base hospital Tho only time the he
pitfalls we're full! was when the hrst n
tachment OF Red Cross nurses a.
rived from WASHINGTON
Not only arc 'hc EUardsmcu Learning
tho business OF war, but Tho offers
themselves arc gaining facility in nan
aging large bodies OF men, and are cy-
ing out certain now articles o! n!l!nry
equipment which first made their ~
pcarancr upon the battle fields OF Lu-
rope The portahl" kitchen. for ex-
ample. Is now conspicuous feature
IN The "ommissary department sew
eral portable kitchens have been re-
ceivcG from Canadian factoric. Were
they arc being manufactured for Ca
madam regiments, and they have pr,ved
remarkably efficient on the ho'der.
They are complete kitchen outfits on
trucks when permit the men 10 have
hot breakfast anywhere on the line
Of march When in tho trenches the
truck ~ simply wheeled along the
trench, ana each man Is fed hot
breakfast. which, o! course, could not
be done II tho food had 10 be .nrried
from the kitchen 10 tho trenches
It was also soon discovered that the
acroplanc was inipract;cablc for border
duty owing to the peculiar rghtness
Of tho air and the carrier pigeon had
"a hc used for mcssnGe-carrying Thus
several very special rroblcms arc
being worked out among the rcGi-
mcnts stationed in Texas which might
have proved exceedingly awkward in
time Of actual war.
Whether the occupation of the border
10y the National Guard was a neces-
sary step or not. the training which
they are receiving could never he du-
pligated anywhere else. If war should
come. the United States will have at
its disposal a large force Of cxpertly
trained men. already acclimited