Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-08-17
COMMISSIONED
men FROM fort
SMELLING ARRIVE
Trains Ahead of Time and 0ma.
has Reception Committee
Misses the Main
Section.

their posts, the soldiers from the
north swooped down on Omaha at
an early hour yesterday and took
possession of the city without the
firing of shot. An hour later the
attacking forces were reinforced,
with still more of the command ar
irving shortly afterward.
The occasion was the return Of
the Nebraskans from Fort Smelling.
They came back, booted and spurred
and on their coats they wore the in
sigma of Uncle Sam, indicating hon
ors won at the training school.
The training school had turned out
something like l,400 officers from a
possible $500. OF the successful
ones--those who had earned COM
misslons-there were eighty some
from Omaha and about 200 from
Nebraska.
Nebraska Well Represented.
Like conquering heores, but OIL a
peace mission, most OF the Omahans
and those from the South Platte
country of Nebraska arrived on a
SPECIAL train at 6:50 yesterday, a
full three-quarters of an hour ahead
of the schedule. This early arrival and
the beating of the schedule prevented
the holding of a reception at the
Union station, as had been planned.
Members OF the reception committee
were at home smoothing, or eating the
early breakfast.
When'the boys piled off the special,
about the only ones to greet them
were newspaper men and the depot
attaches. But at Council Bluffs diff
ferent conditions maintained. The
citizens of that town had hired a
band and had it at the depot. In fact
the band had been at depot since 5
o'clock in the morning. =
Come On Street Cars.
As the train pulled into the Bluffs,
the band struck up when Johnny
Comes Marching Home" and the
music was so inspiring that fully half
of the Omaha contingent piled out of
the cars, received the congratulations
of the crowd, and then beat it for the
street cars, the boys reaching their
homes in time for breakfast.
Shortly after 7 o'clock Mayor Dahl
man, Charles Pickens of the CONNER
cial club and others of the reception
committee reached the Union.station,
but there were no soldiers to receive.
They received the information that
more of the boys were coming on a
Great Western special and they
waited.
About this time loving mothers,
fathers, sweethearts and admiring
friends began to arrive and when the
Great Western special arrived at 8
o'clock there were 1000 or more peo-
pie crowding against the gates. On
this train there were 100, or so, Ne
braskans and dozen of the Omaha
boys. They were all given a cordial
welcome, the Omahans being whisked
away in waiting automobiles. The
boys from out in the state lined up
for their trains that later were to
take them to their respective homes.
Then word was passed along the line
that the Northwestern's regular train
from St. Paul was bringing another
bunch. When it arrived it brought
about 100 Nebraskans, Of whom there
were twenty-five from Omaha.
To Get Home Breakfast.
Owing to the irregular arrival of
the several contingents there was no
attempt made to hold a reception at
the station and after the first greet
ings were over the Omahans hurried
out to their homes to eat mothers
cooking" and clean up.
At Smelling Wednesday officers of
the railroads were at the fort, supply
ing transportation that was good on
any Of the trains into Omaha and
this accounted for the fact of the Ne
braskans arriving in such a hit and
miss manner.
OF those graduated from the school
and given commissions, something
like 1900 are assigned to the ma
tionaf army and expect to go to Des
Moines August %, where, under the
direction of regular army officers.
they will commence converting the
drafted men into real soldiers.
Close to 100 of the men are as
signed to field service, and another
100 to the artillery arm of the army,
with some fifty going into the avia-
tion service. i.
Work at Smelling Strenuous.
The Omahans all agree that the,
work at Fort Smelling was strenuous.
Said Lieutenant McEacheron: