The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-07-10
CAMP FUNSTON
STUDENTS WIN
COMMISSIONS
Wedding Process Has
Eliminated All Except
High Glass Men
(By Associated Press.)

~@@@OS@~~S~~A
San Antonio. Tex, July 10.-Wtth
more than half their training period
gone the young men now in training
at Camp Funston to be among the
first 10000 officers of the new army
all have established a right to con-
sideration for commissions in some
branch OF the service and 1t is in
timated by army men high in author-s
ity that every one of the men who 7
have survived the grueling work up
to now will be used in some way.
The course at Camp Funston win
come to an end about August Is, ana
shortly after that a second camp will
take up the work with men in Ii from
Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona
and New Mexico. This camp also
will last three months, but the work
will be of a different character, lit=
tie less strenuous perhaps, because !
more nature men will be in attend1ss
ance. ss
The undesirables have been weeded !,
out in the six weeks that have be-
come camp history. Every man in
the camp was watched by the officer
instructors. and a card index was
kept on him from the beginning.
Every infringement of rules, every
breach of etiquette, every inattention
ness and every other indication of uIl-
fitness to be IAN officer and a gentle-a
man" was jotted down. Every man
who attended strictly to business, 5
made sincere effort to study, was care
full about his appearance and speech,
was neat in quarters and who abided
faithfully by the rules and regulations :
was given credit. Eva
These last men are the ones who
ors SIT - n
through with the course and ul- 5
timately become officers. The others s
have gradually been dropped on one.
score or another and sent on their !
way. Some who were found unfit for,
some fault not their own were kindly
informed that it would be useless or
imprudent for them to finish the
course. These mostly were men upon
whose health the work had deleter-t
ious effect. The others who were disop
missed were given reasons definite
and anything but kindly, but never
theless potent. xEs
It is related that one student COM
planned about the food. The officer,
to whom he was talking replied:A
you're absolutely right. 1t isn't as
good as it should be and we are going
to better 1t next week. That will not I
interest you, however, for you will
not be here to enjoy it, And that
night the young man received notice 4
that he had been, dropped from the
rolls. 1t was not because he had !
complained but because he was one
of those who had received a maxi-a
mum number of 'sblack marks" and Z
the officer was simply awaiting an
opportune moment to tell him about
it. $50
It is being impressed on the men in
training that the work they are doing
Is a mighty serious prelude to even
more serious things and those who
remain in the camp are the ones who
| accept that view and conscientiouslyY
are endeavoring to flt themselves to
command men and to take care Of
them in the field.
All of the men have learned drill
close and extended order, and have
engaged in ordinary field maneuvers.
Within a few days they will, begin
\ working on the nearest approach pos
| sible to actual battle conditions in
Europe. As one feature they will
construct trenches such as are used
at the front, even concrete and steel
going into them. They will work In
| these several days going, through the
forms of attack, posting observator-
| les, etc. Then will come the reliefs
and the falling back to "billets" and
all of the routine of life in the
| trenches. When this is completed the
men will be withdrawn and several
batteries of artillery will open fire on
the trenches. After the batteries have
worked few hours the students will
be given an opportunity to inspect
the dugouts and thus gain an idea OF
what they will have to contend with
! in the real trenches. -.
While the students have been sep
arated into different branches of the
services for the final weeks of in
struction the great majority of them
are still in the infantry and learning
| the work of that arm. A few have
gone into cavalry training, a larger
number into the artillery and the.
smallest number of all into the avia-
ton section. The aviation men have
been ordered to the various ground
schools" established at the universi
ties and some of the artillery men
also have gone to other stations 70
complete their courses. las