The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1917-10-24
make. SOLDIERS
In THREE MONTHS
Major General Plummer Said He
Would Make Soldiers at Camp
DODGE In 3 Months-he Has
SEE BATTALION SWING ALONG

SEE BATTALION SWING ALONG
Director Pan.Ameriean Union Said He
Never Saw Such Development In
Troops In SO Short Time
Division Headquarters, Camp Dodge
Oct. 23--(Special to the Review
They wondered when Major General
Plummer said he would make soldiers
at Camp Dodge in three months. kitch
ener said it took six months. But
Kitchener was making Tommies ou;
Of slow but get-there Englishmen.
They don't wonder any more. They
have begun to realize that General
Plummer's vision reached beyond the
logical objective. 1t Is logical to meas
ure what America can do with what
the nations of Europe have done. Gen
eral Plummer saw the material from
which armies are made.
He grasped the fact that the new ma
tional army is, thanks to selective con-
scription, to be builded of "The Aver
age American" And he knows that
the average man of no other nation can
stand up beside the average American
and prove himself his equal in brains.
He also knows that the best brains
make the best soldiers. The Canadians
proved it first at Vimy ridge and they
have left no room for doubt since.
The most remarkable feature of the
Eighty-eighth division cantonment to-
day is the swiftness with which the
raw and awkward recruits of month
p{v Na,onlyu hninP trans
formed into soldiers.
You should gee battalion or a reg
iment of them swinging down the
broad concrete turnpike from the drill
grounds. with the easy stride that
marks the march of the seasoned sol.
der, their feet beating rythmic tread
upon the hard road, keeping time to
the sharp count of the sergeants. Zone
-two-three-four three
-Four!" They carry their heads up
and seldom is It necessary for the non
CONS to break the count with the re-
minder of Heads Up" Their hats
set squarely upon their heads, not
down over one eye or perched back In
recruitish tilt. They have learned
their lessons well. ....
John Barrett, director of the Pan:
American Union, came out from Wash
ington and saw them few days ago
II never have. seem troops develQv
4 no wonderfully FAST" he declared. He
had been asked what impressed him
most
General Plummer, in company with
Major General w. H. Carter. command
or of the Central Department at Chi
cagO, watched regiment of them
stride into camp from hike one after
noon. Veterans they are in military
life, vet when the last company had
passed, they turned and found each
other with wonderment in their eyes
This is their first experience in max
ing soldiers of the Average American
Through their years of service they
have watched the regular army man
of peace times who. though good
fighting man when he has, learned his
military A B Cs hasn't the snap and
the mental quickness of his new broth
or of the ranks, the selective. -.
Cad what soldiers they will be!
exclaimed General Plummer. "The
world will never see an army Of theil
EQUALS. And this Eighty-eighth divls
ion will Just be u little better than the
rest"
And in that he referred to the splen
did physique of the conscripts Iron
Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota and Min
nesota, the men of the middle west
which are Just little better than the
average not only in America but II
Europe as we'll.
William H. SHEPPARD. war CORE
spondent for the United Press. has
seen the soldiers of many countries
But when he went to the border las'
year and saw the boys from Iowa anG
illinois and Minnesota and other mid
die western states. he sent out dis
patch in which he said:
"These guardSmen here are among
the biggest soldiers ! have ever seen
recall only two units with men o.
larger stature. They were the kaiser:
own hand picked regiment and a prize
regiment of Russians"
What is the secret of the rapid de
velopment of the boys at Camp Dodge
The day they set foot within thu
military reservation their business be
came soldering. And they went at i
with American business style. The!
knew they had to learn it and they Sc
out to learn it right They are learn
ing it in minute detail. They overlook
nothing that will help them. Non-com
missioned officers jobs await the mos
proficient They have good instruct
ors-1,2OO officers direct from thu
training school at Fl. Smelling and 5O'
sergeants from the regular army. Th'
regular army drill sergeant is In ;
class by himself. But the officer!
from Smelling are in many instances
the better instructors. They are teach
ing to other men what they have JUS
learned. And they haven't forgotten
the points that were most difficult TO
them to master. There's where the!
are valuable to the recruits.
The officers find eager students. Cap
tain Harrison Fuller, acting adjutan
Of the 163d Artillery brigade, described
the spirit when he said:
"When the men are called togethe
for an instructive talk, they squa
around on the ground in semi.circula
formation in front of you. When
have talked to them l have seen then
actually lean forward in close atten
ton to get every word. And in an
other gathering you will always NM
large per cent of men looking disin