Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-05-14
OUR ALLIES WILL LEND HAND
First Officers Will Be Given
Seniority Over Next Batch
to Be Chosen.

| IL
survival Of the fittest They will be
first from civiS life. first in excellent
attainment and first in the new army
destined, maybe, to become the
greatest that ever trod American soil.
Those OF sufficient gifts to be among
the first ten thousand will also be
first In seniority and in line for pro-
motion to the next higher grade in
the reserve corps when the next Of
iiccrs are made. Their promotion
undoubtedly will be rapid, evidently
more so than when the bars were
thrown down to the regular establish
ment Just after the Spanish American
war
The war department expects to
make these great training camps the
most modern the world has ever seen
The general staff has the complete
data OF how France and England
managed their dual system OF train
Ing officers. Thi6 data consists Of
every success and every failure. Every
effort will be made to avoid the Eu-
| ropean failures and pitfalls.
The course Of instruction will not
include as much "entrenchment
work." bomb throwing, as was first
thot by prospective candidates for
commissions. Instead. they will be
taught to command and to lead and
how to care for their men. since all
other things, with few exceptions, are
second to these, especially for Junior
grades.
Executive ability" will probably
be one of the salient features of the
entire course of instruction.
Records Arc T,bulatcd.
or course these men are trained
with view to having them train the
great draft Of men soon to follow
and the instruction will be thoro. from
the school of the soldier to battalion
and squadron work. Officers from
the regular establishment, noted for
their ability In that line Of work, will
keep daily tab on all candidates. Each
mans "day-to-day" work will be a
tabulated record, sort Of n card index
| system as 1t were. against the final
examination. Each record will show
what sort Of an actual service" Of
ficer the man will make.
They will indicate what can be ex-
pected Of the candidate under GER
tain conditions, whether or not he has
good stamina under fire or back of
the line. his temperament under sur
prise or ambush, and whether he can
be depended upon to see that the
men under his command are cared
for properly. Another point will be
to find out whether he will be popu-
lar with his men and can at the
same time command respect and dis
cipline, or unpopular as martinez.
and therefore unsuitable for line du-
ties which might soon be required OF
him in Europe
The field OF instruction will cover
the duties Of Junior officers, to the
rank OF captain Of infantry. cavalry,
field and coast artillery. At first the
instruction will be the same for every
body, covering as 1t will from squad
to company command. The training
will simulate as near as possible ac-
tual warfare as 1t now exists. Ad-
vance and rear guard activities. scout
ing, observations, wire entanglements,
how to seek and gain cover with the
least possible exposure to fire OF an
enemy, night operations, how to de-
tect mining operations on the part OF
an enemy, map reading and making.
i'm fact some sort of instruction In as
many phases OF war as can be crowd
ed into three-month course.
Study Trench Work.
OF course trench work and marks
manship will figure some on the pro-
gram, but, as stated, these features
will not be essentials of the course.
However, the course will have some
instruction In the use of the gas mask,
trench mortars and similar important
battle developments OF the great war.
The first month of the three-month
course will practically be devoted IN
It's entirety to infantry instruction.
This will cover most OF the enumer-
ated features. Il
At the beginning, the personnel OF
each camp will be organized into 10
companies OF about 250 men each.
Following the month Of infantry
work, a reorganization will probably
be made into nine companies OF In
fantry. two troops of cavalry and
three field batteries. Certain men
who have been proved" for coast de- |
fense work. signal corps and general
service will he sent to similar stations
for additional instruction.
During the last two months Of the |
training the regular instructors and
"tacks" are expected to concentrate |
their efforts to "pick OUT the quail |
fications of every man In camp. Dur |
Ing this period each of the $500 men |
In each camp will have an opportu-
nifty to show what he can do as an |
actual commander or military unit
Of each three branches OF the service. |
field artillery. cavalry and infantry. |
Certain tests will be given to further |
indicate individual ability and what !
can be expected OF each rs n leader |
Of men. The result of these tests wi1l |
depend upon whether the candidate
will be commissioned and assigned to
duty at the end Of the entire period.
Foreign Officers Coming.
The American camps. as has been
stated, are expected to emphasize the |
best lessons of the training camps |
of England. France and Canada. Al
ready many officers who have been
designated for duty at the training !
camps have been sent to Canada to
visit the great camp for officers st
Valcertien. Here Canadian instruc-
tors will point out to them In detail
lust what the great war has taught
Canadians regarding the best way to
train officers,
II Is understood, tho semiofficially.
that within short time batch OF
experienced Instructors from the Eu- /,
ropean training camps will arrive In
this country and be distributed
amons. the American camps 10 aid