The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-09-22
VERMONT BOYS
ARE PLACED IN
3O2D|NFANTRY
Those Sent to Camp Devens
Have Been Assigned
CAMP is GROWING FAST
Six Thousand Massachusetts Men
Reached Aver Yesterday and Other
Recruits Are Coming Today.

Camp Deyens, Aver, Sept. 21.-
Massachusetts came forward today
and unsellshly gave G0OO Of her stur-
dy sons to Uncle Sam for his army.
All day long trains poured into camp
from all directions. Officers, who
have been at the camp entrance
watching the men from all States
come in declared this afternoon that
the Bay State men were by far the
finest looking and best behaved
young men of all the thousands who
have come into camp. Every man
jack was checked off and examined
before o'clock tonight.
Mai. Gen. Harry f. Hodge, in look
ing over the material he is to mold
into an army, said:
1T is an exceptionally fine lot, and
with that spirit they will go far"
Although the arrival of the 5000
Massachusetts men swelled the grand
total of rockies in camp to $4,000 to-
night, so vast is the place that there
seemed no more of them than a few
days ago when the first 1000 men
came in from all over New England.
After the men went to their barracks
they were completely swallowed up
in the 25 square miles that constitute
Camp Devens. The only sign of ac-
tivity was at the gate and there was
a scene that rivals description.
Officers in the booths were ready 10
receive men before daylight, but IL
was Just few minutes when the FIRST
crowd, 700 in all. from New Bedford
Fall River and surrounding towns
came singing up the road. They were
detrained at a railroad crossing on
the main road to Aver, about a mile
from camp. Headed by boy drum
corps-the Young Mems Catholic To
tai Abstinence society corps of Fall
River-they marched into camp
cheering thunderously, singing and
shouting; as happy company OF
young men as have struck Camp De
| vens to date-and all sober.
While the men were drawn up in
the field near the State booths the
| popular question was where Va
from?' The answer was followed b!
cheers, no matter what locality wai
named. They we're all from Massa
chusetts and we're porud of II anC
each other. They cheered fellows
from little cross roads country towns
as enthusiastically and impartially al
| those from the big cities. Every
where good will and fellowship wa
evident.
Some of the Bay State men wer'
perturbed when they saw a thin lin'
Of men coming slowly down the fiell
spearing papers with pointed stick
and picking up bits of linen collars
styingy neckties and other rubbisl
shamefacedly as they went.
| Hey. lieutenant" demanded
Massachusetts man of a major, 81
that what we've gotta do tomorrow
They were greatly amused whel
word was passed along the line the
the rubbish seekers were polio
squad from among the Connection
men. who came in yesterday afternoo
picking up the remnants left afte
their entrance into Camp Devens.
| While the men have all been a
signed some Of them are not yet fam
liar with camp life to find their ow
quarters easily in the big tent city.
The Vermont recruits are so fa
mostly in the 302nd infantry and 500
light artillery, Valney l.. Durfee {
Bristol, VI, has been appointed Sc
. geant in the 302nd.