The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-09-15
WHEELING MAN TAKES EXAMlN,
ALTON FOR CAVALRY OFF,
GER AT PLATTSBURG
Is Enthusiastic Over Success OF gov
ernment's Training School
For Officers.

| luE IUOhleSt lldl Will Sl'S l'tAh
mission from the United States war
| department as a cavalry captain.
| When the commission is received,
which probably will be within Sixty
or ninety days, Mr.. Roderus, along
with hundreds Of others who Will be
commissioned as result Of the en-
! animation, will, be subject 10 call by
| the government at any time in case VI
war. In addition 10 being subject 20
! call for war service, he must report
i for fifteen days service each year &C
captain in command Of company or
! regular army troops. When call"d
for service those who will receive
their commissions from the Piattsourg
examination will receive the pay "
regular army officers of the rank 10
which they are commissioned.
Spent Month at Camp.
Mr.. ROderus spent the month or
August 10 10 September 6 as rookie
/ in the Senior division of Camp at
! Plattsburg. The $500 or more. men
| from every state in the Union in me
same division included J. c. Mckinley
G. \. Feeney and Joseph BORON, or
this city. and J. NJ. Barton, OF Mar
| tins Ferry.
/ THE chief object of the war depart
ment in conducting the PiattsDu:s
camps" Mr.. Roderus told a represent
tative of The lntelligencer yesterday
afternoon, is train men to be OF
ficers for every branch Of army ser
vice. The senior divisions OF the
Plattsburg camps required that the
rockies must have at least complete
high school education. In making
this provision, it was the aim 10 re!
men who could quickly grasp the IN
structions given them Educalloh IS
necessary in preparing men Tor OF
ficers. o0,,,
probably is not appreciated o! GU.
zens Of inland sections OF the country
as II should be because those who
| live away from the coasts and army
headquarters do not realize the conul'
lions that exist with respect or the
army. A trip 10 the Plattsburg camp
and a month of hard training anu
study there was sufficient 10 open
anybody's eyes TO the need or training
officers for the army.
A Full Days Work
| We rockies were required 10 per
form regular army duties under the
instruction of regular army officers
| Our duties began at 4:45 each morning
and the days work concluded with con-
ferences at $50. After that interest
ing lectures were given. 1t was optlon'
al with the rockies whether they at
tended these lectures. but ii was sur.
prising TO note the large number OF
men who took advantage OF these op'
portunities, even after a hard DAY
work. Taps sounded at ten O'Clock.
! No pickets were kept on duty at nlght
Il as the officers wanted the men 10 get
all the rest possible. They needed, II
because of the strenuous day Work.
The first years instruction is con.
filmed entirely TO infantry drill and reg
ulations, but the second year the cour'
Sos will be elective and the men can
lake instruction either in the cavalry
artillery. signal corps or other de-
par,ments Of army service. in all prob:
| ability there will be a number OF
Wheeling men qualify for enrolment
al PlattSburg next year.
[ Examinations are given at these
camps. whereby men can qualify as
regular army officers. Officers receir,
ing commissions from these eXamln-
arions will be subject to call by the
government in case Of war and must
cuend fifteen days 4 year in the ser
vice in command of regular army
troops. This provision was made by
the war department under General
Order No. 80 issued on July y.
Hike Great Feature
Several features Of life al Platts-
| burg are amusing as we'll as lnstruc'
tive 10 the rockies. One Of the best
of these features is the hike. for
which Platrsburg is famous. During
these hikes, which consumes six or
seven days for about eighty miles of
marching, battle formation is kept up,
with extended order work, when all
4, branches OF the service are brought
into action. In these sham battles UNI.
pires who are regular army officers
Of this and other countries. decide
+, the number Of killed and wounded
and the advantages gained by the Of,
! fensire or defensive as the case may
be.
The PlattSburg camp offers rockies
a great opportunity 10 become efficient
riflemen. As considerable time is spent
in teaching the men TO use their arms
properly. The Wheeling men made
good scores in rifle drill, and most Of
them qualified as markSmen.
The attendance at Plattsburg was
very gratifying 10 General Wood and
his staff, and the army heads believe
that next years enrolment will
greatly exceed that Of this. The Wal
Department hopes 10 have more Off
GERS to give instructions next year
/ There were men al Plattsburg from
every State in the Union. They were
principally college graduates, and
| bank presidents and college presidents
put on packs and took their place in
the ranks with men of almost every
other profession and calling. Among
those rockies were hundreds Of the
very best men in the country.
| Fine for Health.
Every man paid his own expenses
including transportation. uniform and
his keen in camp. There has been talk
of government appropriation to
cover this cost next year, but whether
such move will be carried out we
don't know yet
From Il health standpoint. it is
worth $3.50 TO any man to spend a
month in .Plattsburg camp. You may
90 10 Atlantic City and have lot
more fun for the same money. but for
health Plattsburg can't be beat. The
sanitary regulations are most strict
and perfect. We had hard work every
day and not much time for fun but
no month could have been spent more
profitably. if viewed from the stand
! point Of health alone"