East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-08-31
LESSON NO. II.


VICB-I
The staff branches reviewed in the
preceding lesson are the General
Staff Corps. Adjutant Generals De
partment, Inspector Generals Depart
ment, Judge Advocate Generals De-
partment, Engineer Corps, and Signal
Corps. The other three staff branch
es which all directly touch every SOL
dier are the Medical Department,
Quartermaster Corps and Ordinances
Department.
The Medica' Department works
along two distinct lines: First,
tries to keep everyone in the army IN
good health, and for this purpose
keeps close watch of the cleanliness
of camps and buildings, of the quail
ity and cooking of food, and the like;
second it provides ambulances, hos
p:tals. and medical service for the
proper care of sick or wounded men,
The Medical Department includes the
Dental Corps, the Hospita. Corps ana
the Nurse Corps. Its officers are eN-
perienced physicians who have pass
ed rigid examinations Its enllstei
men are chiefly engaged in the diff
cult and often dangerous work OF
rescuing the wounded and transport
ing them to field and base hospitals.
Just as every man in the army
carries intrenching tools so that he
may protect himself without the help
of the Engineer Corps when neces-
sary. so he also carries a first all
packet" so that he may in an emef-
gency perform some of the dut es Of
the Medical Department. Every SOL
dier learns how to give dressing ana
treatment to his own wounds wheh
he is able to do so, and how to assist
wounded comrades until men from
the Medical Department arrive.
MedicaL Department Efficiency
The Medical Department of the |
American Army is regarded as one OF !
the best in the world. A soldier may |
feel assured he will receive every pos
sibe attention in case of need. Ihe |
of recover!es from wounds |
in the hospitals manned by Ameri- |
cans during the European war has !
been exceptionally high.
The Quartermaster Corps is the |
business manager of the Army. II |
furnishes food. clothing, and most |
kinds of equipment; provides horses |
and mules; arranges for transporta-
ton takes charge of money; buys |
supplies; pays troops; and keeps on |
hand stores of supplies.
The Importance of all this work |
can hardy be overstated. Napoleon |
said An army travels on it's belly. /
meaning the soldiers must be well |
fed and well supplied if they are to
fight effectively This is even more |
necessary today than it was in ia i
poleon's time. In modern warfare
the scale of fightipg and the guam
titles of supplies are so tremendous
that the duties of the Quartermaster
Corps are multiplied beyond any pre- |
vious experience.
The officers of the. Quartermaster
Corps must be able business men.
MANY of them have he'd important
business positions. The enlisted men
Of the corps are skilled in such occu-
pations as blacksmithing painting.
driving teams and trucks baking
bread and the like
Work of ordnance Department.
OF the same general character is
The work of the Ordnance Depart
ment, which furnishes the guns, am
and other supplies needei
Tor flBntlnS. SeNeTal times uuTII5
the present war whole armies have
been forced to retreat or have suf-
fered severely because of lack Of mu-
litions. The quantity of ammunition
used daily is enormous. During the
French offensive of June, 1917, 12.-
3O0, 600 shots were fired from artii-
ery guns.
In the actual theater of war the
ammunition service is under the con-
ro, of the Field Artillery. Br>ngins
Up supplies Of ammunition to troops
md to batteries in action is one Of
he most essential of all duties on
he battlefield The wagons or
rucks carrying ammunition must be
lriyen when necessary within easy
each of the firing Inc Sometimes
here is an opportunity here for the
display of rsourcefulness and courage
ar above the ordinary requirments
# the service.
At the second Battle of Ypres in
April, 1915. the Third Battery in the
Third Brigade of the Canadian Field
Artillery galloped into position with
n a few hundred yards OF the German
'ront, where they did gallant work