Evening star., 1916-12-09
TROOP A MEN HOPE =.
ORCOMM|SS|ONS
Twenty-Three Take Examina-
tions for Places as Officers
in Troop B. A.i
,peciai From n STAFF Correspondent.

Special From a STAFF Correspondent.
CAMP OF TROOP A. District of CO.
lumbia Cavalry. Camp Wilson, San
Antonio, Tex. December 5.-There is
hardly a militiaman who at some time
in his dreams-either by day or by
night-has not ina gined himself at the
head of his company giving orders with
all the polish and exactness OF sea
soned campaigner. And the chances
are he has harbored a sneaking sus-
picion that he is quite as competent to
handle the command as the fortunate
gentleman who draws a monthly sti-
pend Of 5000 from the government while
in the federal service or during sum
mer encampment periods. and who
wears two bars on his collar so that
people will know his rank. Every
militia organization has such dreamers.
and Troop A, District of Columbia Cav
airy. is no exception.
There are twenty-three members OF
Troop A, District of Columbia Cavalry,
who irrespective of their future as
fighting men. can always carry with
them the satisfaction and the right TO
say. 81 commanded a troop once. They
are the twenty-three enlisted men or
~ W
competitive examination to ascertain
just who will be so fortunate as to win
q commission in the new Troop B, now
in the process of formation. The ex-
laminations have been in progress for
two days, and now are about complet-
ed. Just how long'ft will be before
the result is announced no one here
knows. for the correction of the exami-
nation papers will be a big task: g.,
The examination given the men IN
cluded both the practical and the theo-
| retical in cavalry knowledge. The lat
ter meant a lot of tedious paper work
that no one enjoyed, irrespective OF his
ability to answer the forty questions
submitted him. But the practical part
Of the test was fun for eyerybody-fun
for the participants in the competition
as well as the forty of sixty other
members of the troop who did not
choose to enter the race.
1t included the drilling of the troop
by the twenty-three men who are seek
rarily clothed with all the authority OF
a captain of cavalry and told to go to
it." And they went.
Performances Judged.
Can't. James H. Washburn. the troop
commander; First Lieut.. Benjamin X.
Rhees and Second Lieut.. Langdon
Moore stood on the side of the drill
| field and Judged the performance OF
the would-be officers. Careful note
| was made of the manner orders were
given and executed and of the general
| bearing of the contestants The clarity
| with which commands were given also
was marked.
| The examinations have been given
the members of the troop in compli-
| ance with orders received from MAJ. j.
C. Castner. adjutant general OF the Ma
| tional Guard of the District OF Soiufn-
Let 'er blow: we should worry" is
the slogan of Troop A these days, now
that the flooring and walling OF the
tents has been completed and the mess
hall has been sheathed. The men OF
the troop now have about all the com
| forts that are possible under canvas.
and they consider themselves fortunate.
Have Electric Lights.
Troop A camp was completed and now
electric lights burn in the tents every
night
The mess hall of the troop has been
sheathed in and hereafter the troopers
will have a warm place to eat when
norther strikes here.
| Mess Sergt Herbert f. Rickard is back
on the job again. The sergeant was
taken sick while the troop was at Fort
Myer and was confined to the post nos
pital recovering from an operation when
the command came to San Antonio early
in October. He arrived here several
days ago.
Sergt Brittingham and Corp. Scott are
spending a portion of each day studying
map making An officer of the 18th CAV
airy is serving as their instructor.
Capt. Herbert J. Bryson of the medi-
cal corps is part of the official family of
Troop A again. He has been detached
from the Sd District Infantry and assign
ed for duty with the 10th Cavalry treg-
ulars) to which Troop is attached. He
| is living with the troop again but his
duties are not confined entirely to that
organization.
All of the members of the troop have
had their finger prints taken and these
have been filed with their individual rec
osd cards. A finger print record and a
| photograph of every soldier is regular
army requirement, but just whether the
members of Troop A will have to have
their pictures taken has not been an
nounced. j. Z. McC.