Evening star., 1917-09-26
w. H. BIaden Is First to Grasp
Hand of Commander at
Maryland Camp.
BAND PLAYS FOR MARCH TO
BARRACKS FROM THE DEPOT
Bed Sacks and Blankets Issued I'm
mediately Upon Arrival; Get
Uniforms Tomorrow.
By Staff Correspondent

By STAFF Correspondent.
CAMP MEADE, September 26.-To the
strains of the washington Post March,
played BY the band of the 5th New York
National Guard, the District of Colum-
bias first detail of men for the Ma
tional Army marched into camp shortly
before noon today.
W. q. Bladen was the first man to
step off the train at Disney station. He
is from No. l. Bladen was met by Maj.
Gen. Kuhn, commanding Camp Meade,
who asked his name and age and
welcomed him as the first man from
Washington to come to camp. Bladen
gave his age as twenty-five years and
his employment as a clerk in the offices
of the Southern railway.
Second to Leave Train.
The next man off the train was Walter
Moore, who was in charge of the train.
Then came James E. Wilson, jr., who
was assistant to the principal clerk
in the property department of the quar-
termaster generals Office. War Depart
ment, detailed to have charge of the
men from No. 1 en- route. w H. Santel-
mann, son of Lieut.. Santelmann. director
of the United States Marine Band. was
in charge of the detail from No. Z.
As soon as the men detrained they
were marched through the ankle-deep
dust of the srailroad yards at Disney to
the beginning of the reasonably sond
roadway, where they were halted. ana
turned their hand luggage over to be
hauled to their barracks.
Across the dusty trails at the lower
end of the camp the Districts detail
marched to the block to which they
have been assigned. On the way the
men kept up a constant fire of jokes
The District men are located in bar
racks 40, in block S. and are assigned
to the s1oth Machine Gun Battalion:
Their train arrived at Disney al. 1920
o'clock. being only half hour late on
the trip from Washington to the de-
training point.
Arriving at their barracks. the men
answered roll call and signed the mus
ter rolls. They were given the usual
instructions to remain strictly within
the bounds of their barracks. At noon
they had their first meal as members
of the National Army. 1t was composed
of beef. potatoes. hominy grits. bread
and coffee There was no dessert today.
but there was plenty Of solid. substan-
tial food
Given Anti-Typhoid Serum.
This afternoon the men are being put
through their physical examination and
are also receiving their first shot of
anti-typhoid serum and their smallpox
vaccinations. There are plenty of med
ical officers in camp, and this part of
the preliminary job of turning civilians
into soldiers is being disposed of in
jig time
All along the line from Disney sta
tion to their barracks the boys from
the District were the recipients of
marked attention.
Officers of other regiments and COM
panies asked if these were the men
from Washington. and commented on
the general good spirits of the men. as
we'll as upon their fine appearance. 1t
is the general expectation of officers.
from Gen. Kuhn and members of his
staff down, that the District men will
prove to be among the very best SOL
diers in Camp Meade, and the men are
out to realize every expectation if the
spirit they showed today is any indi-
cation.
Gen. Kuhn. In welcoming Bladen to
camp. said:
You are the first men from the Dis
trict of Columbia to come into camp
as soldiers in the new Army, and We
are all expecting great things from all
of you men from the District"