New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-24
1900 Rockies Get
Hand-Me-Downs
At Plattsburg
New Student Officers Wear
Khahi Left by Former
Candidates
Only Supermen to Pass
Infantry, Coast and Field
Artillery Are the
Branches Open
Especial Ccrrespondsnosl


PLATTSBURG, n. Y, Aug. 23.-Six'
teen hundred young and middle-aged
men, who, until this morning, were self
sufficient, independent citizens Of this
Republic, muttered as they fell asleep
tonight.
zone o. D. khaki uniform, two blan-
kets, one pair Of leggins, one canteen
one mess kit" and so on, until slumbel
overlook them.
For in the hours which elapsed from
the time ehey clambered from the train
here to-day to enter the second officers
training camp, vast change had come
over these erstwhile sovereign citizens
Their self-suficiency crumbled away
first.
Caustic-tongued and marvellously wise
regular army non-coms destroyed this
1t took these glib veterans, many OF
them younger than their charges, only
few minutes to impress upon the
minds of the student officers that
whatever their intellectual achievements
had been in civil life, they were as
babes unborn, when 1t came to modern
warfare.
COgwheels in Vast Machine
After. self-sufficiency. followed indie
pendence. The khaki uniforms in
which the candidates shortly appeared
banished this entirely. For when they
assumed the mud-colored cloth and
gun metal buttons Of the United States
Army they became merely cogwheels
in a vast machine, wheels which might
speed up the mechanism, or, on the
other hand, might retard it until they
were scrapped.
Yet, despite the privations and other
minor misfortunes, it was happy SIX
teen hundred who muttered items OF
equipment as they slept tonight.
To be sure, the equipment left some
thing to be desired. but one great les
son had already been pressed home
upon them. A soldier who loses his
life obtains thereby kIorS and honor
but the soldier who loses his equip
ment will presently wish feryently
that he was dead. Therefore. between
tattoo and taps tonight the candidates
told over their quartermaster and ord.
nance stores rosary fashion, and went
-%in calling the roll
The entire sixteen hundred were out
fitted in two hours. The Quarterrnas
ter's contributions consisted OF pom
chos, blankets, comforter and uni
forms.
On this last word the men base thu
only tale of woe that twelve hours Of
soldering has brought forth.
Men Wear "Hand-Me- Downs"
"Uniformsl" one disguised private
said this evening. They're not uni
forms. they're hsnd-me-downs.'
And that is exactly what they are
They are the worn, stained and some
times altered clothes on which the mrs,
officers training camp was hammered
into shape. Judging by the appearance
of some Of the uniforms, 1t took goot
deal Of hammering.
"I've got a perfectly foreign set OF
initials on the seat of my pants, the
complaining private continued, ane
there's ink all over the front OF my
Jacket. All they did was to laundei
and fumigate the stuff and hand 1t ou'
10 us again. Swell chance | have in
camp where officers are to judge by ap
pearances."
The fact that the candidates have t.
begin their work here in the outfits
left by their brethren who have gone
before is in no way the fault of thu
Plattsburg quartermaster. Six weeks
ago he ordered new uniforms from
Washington. They never came.
There was only one thing 70 do, ant