Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-09-24
BALLOON CORPS
FROM Fl. OMAHA
GOES TO Fl. SILL
Experts in Aeronautics Soon to
Be on Firing Line in France
for the Allies; Trained
Men to Other Camps.


Captain Vaughn and Lieutenant
Bryan of Fort Omaha left Satur.
day for Fort Sill, Okl. With them
went Company A, the first company
to leave the fort. This is composed
of the men who have been longest
at Fort Omaha and who will be first
at the front, from present indications.
After short stay at Fort Sill they
will go TO France. Many at Fort
Omaha think it matter of only a
few weeks before this first company
of trained balloonists will be fighting
on the battle line. -
1t is now prophesied that all the
men at Fort Omaha now will be in
France within two months.
A large kite balloon went along
with the company, leaving for Fort
Sill, and another will be shipped at
once. These will be employed in
balloon observation at Fort Sill and
there the members Of the company
will practice and teach what they have
learned at Fort Omaha this summer.
The personnel of Fort Omaha is
changing rapidly. After several
months of training the officers there
are being called away to other posts
where their knowledge can be I'M
parted to those unframed in such
work. ....
Are in Great Demand.
Many of these officers are skilled
military men and now that they have
had intensive balloon training they
are recalled to their former line OF
work where their skill is in demand.
No trained army officer can be
spared long from his regulation
duties, so as soon as he has . tssof-
ough course in the balloon observa-
ton he is taken back to other
branches of the army. At the front
officers trained in these different lines
will be especially valuable
Captain Muller is one of the officers
recently called from Fort Omaha
who will be greatly missed there. He
was ordered to Cincinnati, but 1t is
not known where his ultimate destina-
ton will be. Captain Dawson is an
other officer who has just left Fort
. Omaha. He was sent to Fort Sill in
advance of the company from the bal
loon school which left for that point
Sunday. re
Three free balloons made flights
averaging from thirty-hve to forty
miles Saturday morning. These were
piloted by Captain Pagelow, Captain
Prentice and Lieutenant Goodale.
They landed safely in Iowa.
Major c. D. F. Chandler, who is
next in command under General
Squier Of the Department of Aero
nautics in the army, will come to
Omaha the first of the week to in
spect Fort Omaha. 1t is thought he
will arrive Monday.
There was a rush on at the army
recruiting station in the army build
ing Saturday morning. A story pub
lished in The Bee Friday stated that
volunteer enGsting might be stopped,
owing to recommendation OF Cen
eral Crowder that every registered
man in the country be given the
physical examination. Many hurried
over 10 the recruiting station to en-
list at once. "The volunteer recruit
has many advantages over the one
who waits for the draft. By 10 o'clock
Saturday morning thirty men had al
ready enlisted in the army" said
Major Firth.
DR.. Lynn T. Hall of the medical re-
serve corps has been appointed lieu-
tenant in the Omaha Ambulance COM
pany, No. IS. The ambulance COM
pany, which expected to leave last
week, is still here because of a can
ceiling of the orders. The company
is expecting new orders to leave any
time. AS far as known the destina-
ton will still be Fort Taylor, at
Louisville, KY, which was the station
assioned to the company a week ago.