Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-08-17
OFFICERS IN TRAINING
Activities at The Officers Training Camp at Fort Ben
jamin Harrison as Viewed by Civian-The
Army Y M. C. A. at Work
BY DAVIS B. JOHNSON

| When | attended the Camp at Fort
| Benjamin Harrison, there must have
been something like six or seven thou
sand men in training. There was the
Officers Training Camp, the Medical
Corps, Ambulance and Hospital Divi-
sions and few regiments of the reg
ular army, there was none of the civil
| life but much of the military. The
men were quartered; first in the per-
manent buildings of the camp, second
in long wooden temporary buildings
or quarters, which do very nicely for
summer but which would be a little
cool for winter use. thirdly in army
tents, which were considered by the
men as the best quarters during those
torid days, when the temperature stood
at ninety-six in the shade, as the sides
could be rolled up permitting the free
circulation of the air.
One thing that the army teaches
man is regularity. All arise or as we
say "get up'', at the same time. Their
first care is to their bed and bed cloth
ing which are rolled up and taken care
of in a neat and uniform manner af-
ter which they are assembled in their
various companies for physical or set
ting up exercises, as they are called;
then comes breakfast or "chow" as
they call it; then drill or instruction
until dinner time; then more drill and
instruction and marching until supper
then lectures until about ten p. m,
when all lights are out for the night
AS to the marching one of the boys
said that they had marched all over
Indiana and Illinois, last week and
that next week they were going to
take them over into Iowa and show
them the scenery.
Bayonet practice seemed to be sport
for the boys. In all parts of the camp
could be seen dummies stuffed with
straw to represent men and hung up
,, in standards by ropes. Vital spots
were marked on these dummies and
the boys were given instruction just
where to stab to make a fatal thrust.
To heighten the hilarity and to make
| the occasion more real the boys had
pinned names on the various dummies
such as 'FThe Kaiser, "Crown Prince,
"Hindenburg", etc. Then again paste
board was cut out to represent the
| figures of men, fastened to sticks and
set US along the hills and ravines and
the boys were permitted to make a
charge on them. 1t reminded me of
that old rhyme in the reader beginning
thus: owe charged upon flock of
geese, and put them all to flight, ex-
cept one sturdy gander, who thought
to show us fight, but our captain was
as brave a man as ever wheeled a van,
we routed him and secuted him and
never lost man."
The boys were taught to dig trench
es and build barb wire entanglements
the same as those on the battle fields
of Europe. Across the fair fields of the
Fort could be seen long line of zig
gag trenches built up with bags of
sand and the approaches thereto cover
ed with an ENHANCEMENT mass of barb
wire.
Then there were the rifle ranges,
where the boys practised shooting
Each man was commanded to load his
gun and at given signal to drop down
on his stomach and fire ten shots in
rapid succession at the target. The
results were tabulated and his score
set down as to his record.
The Medical men received about the
same drill as the other men except to
the carrying of arms. Of course they
went there with Commissions to begin
with, and few of them thought that
when they arrived they would have 6
horse to ride and an orderly to wait OF
them they were very much disappoint
ed however as they were sent out tt
drill in the hot sun like private sol
der Ny observation led me to be
lieve that the most of them were {