The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-10-05
FORMER TEACHER IN
MOORHEAD NORMAL
sFAmong The Finest Young
Men In America" He
Says Of Companions
NOTE OF PRIDE IN
HIS GREAT WORK
Thanks God He Isn't Fore
ed to Do ''Humdrum
Work Of Civilian"

I'VE think flying, talk flying, and
dream flying. 1t is all absorbing ana
intensely interesting"
So writes Arthur ]. Johnson,
former member of the Moorhead
normal school faculty, where he was
q teacher in the psychology or
education, probably the first Moor
head or Fargo man to enlist for
service when the war against Ger
many broke out, and who entered the
nations aviation service. He details,
with remarkable insight, life in the
aerial service, in a letter received by
Pres. Frank A. Weld of the normal,
and read by him to the normal stu
dents at chapel this morning.
Pride in His Work.
And there's a note of pride-par-
dona.ble indeed-in his letter.
II wish the Germans and the
+, Kaiser could see us at work. There
would be no doubt then as to wheth-
er our intentions were serious. To
have q part in all this planning,
study, and preparation gives me the
greatest pride. This has been the
most wonderful summer of my life,
writes Mr.. Johnson. II have thank
ed God many times for giving me a
physique which makes 1t possible for
me to do the work that am doing
instead of being forced to do the
humdrum work Of the civilian in
time OF war. I am living and work.
ing among the. finest young. men in
America. Every civilian who visits
the field comments on the excellent
personnel of the men enlisted in
aviation. ] am afraid, however, that
we are getting somewhat conceited,
although the military discipline acts
Us soft pedal on the conceited SOL
der I shall never again doubt the
Dement'S OF a military training for q
boy. am sorry that did not get
1t earlier in my life''
Vast Training.
How the men are trained as
Observers, how they are taught to
fly, their course of instruction in the
handling Of machine guns, and how
their course of study covers such
subjects as French, photography,
motors, airplane construction, wire
less, military tactics and law, and
military drill, are all related with
remarkable clearness.
Mr.. Johnson's Letter.
The aerial service, most romantic,
probably, OF the nations varied war
arms, is brought closer home by Mr..
Johnson's letter. which follows in
Cadet Squadron, Kelly Field,
South San Antonio. Texas,
a Sept. is. 1917.
Dear Mr.. Weld:
/ am now we'll started on the sec
ond phase OF my training as a milf
tary aviator. The aviation student
must take three courses Of training
at as many schools; First, ground
svaz
foreign school. At the ground school
such as I attended at the University
of Texas for eight weeks we did no
actual flying. Here we studied all
the phases OF the theory Of aviation,
motors, machine guns, and the work
OF the aviator over the battlefield in
its various forms-such as scouting,
bombing, fighting in the air, CO.
operation with the artillery, map
making OF the enemy's territory,
photography, wireless, heIiograph,
night raiding. contact patrol. and
miniature range.
Belgium in Miniature.
One of the most interesting courses
that we took at the ground school
was miniature range. This consisted
of the observation of some section of
the enemy's territory Gin Belgium)
graph the results of the observation
to some battery commander. Code
messages were used. But observer
and offlcer in charge of battery,
which may be ten or fifteen miles
from observer, have maps Of the
same territory. Everything is carried
out as It would be in actual battle
except in miniature. The student Is
seated about sixteen feet above the
miniature battlefield. Below him is
an exact reproduction in miniature
OF some section Of Belgium. Trees,
villages, wind mills, trenches, roads.
everything lis shown exactly as IL
would appear to an aviator flying
at an altitude of 5000 feet. The
instructor who acts as the battery
commander flashes a light for only
an instant in some section OF the
field, The aviator must instantly
note the tactical situation, 3. x.
column OF infantry 1000, so trans
ports, 30 mounted guns, moving
west. He Immediately sends by
heliograph TO the battery commander
the above information and gives him
the pin-point location Of the troops
observed. He next directs the bat
terry commander the proper kind Of
gunfre to be used.
Locates Shots.
The battery then opens flre and
the first hit is indicated by another
flash In the vicinity Of the target
(troops) The observer then signals
the results Of the shot He must To-
cate with reference to the target ex-
actIy where the shot strikes. This Is
done by the clock method. BY using
this method OF locating the result Of
fire the battery can soon train its
guns exactly on the target even at
a distance Of from - to is miles.
III n essential that the signals sent