Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-11-09

ON CAMP LIFE
MEMBER OF HOSPITAL UNIT AT
OHIO cANToNMENT SAYS
MEN ARE WELL.

An interesting letter has been IA
ceived by The Courier from Joseph
Lewisburg of Field Hospital unit No.
1872 stationed at Camp Sherman,
Chillicothe, Ohio, which throws inteS-
esting sidelights upon the life Of the
drafted man at Camp Sherman.
Mr.. Lewisburg enlisted in the regu-
lar army last spring, and from Jehor-
son Barracks was sent to Fort Ben
jamin Harrison, Ind, where he was
placed in one of the first field hospital
units formed. Late in July, with forty
other privates he was sent to prepare
Camp Sherman for the called men.
The camp now consists of infantry,
cavalry, artillery and signal corps
companies, besides the sanitary train
Of the division. The camp is oAicially
known as the S3rd division of the
regular army. Nearly $4,000 men are
camped here.
The new men are met at the station
and transported to the camp where
they are assigned to company as
soon as possible, and examined. The
most interesting place in the whole
camp, according to Mr.. Lewisburg. is
the examining barracks, where men
are found in all stages of funk, some
going through the examination in
good humor, some with sullen spirit,
and some frankly expressing the hope
that they will be exempted.
Excerpts from Mr.. Lewisburg's let
ter follow:
The 10 O'Clock Cali.
AFTER few days the recruit
imagines that he is full fiedged
soldier and he goes to town and finds
some congenial lassie who Is interest
ed in the sons of Uncle Sam and ex-
plains the mistakes that the higher
ups have made in not placing him at
least in charge of division. She
sees the errors made and before her
eyes the routine Of the army unfolds.
She listens to the plans for promotion,
hears the clink of medals won on the
field of honor, amid the falling Of
shot and she'll, and then-just as the
hero Is about to enter the imperial
palace and strange the kaiser there
is borne to their ears the call to
quarters and the recruit must needs
tear himself away and hike for his
little bed and blankets, for he knows
that to miss 10 O'Clock check will
either restrict him to camp for a week
or sentence him to that ogre of army
life-kitchen police duty. After one
becomes accustomed to the early ris-
ings and grows hardened to the morn
ing calisthenics the army grows more
rosy every. day and some OF the very
men who were sure that they would
not like it are heard to say Why army
life isn't so bad after ALL
Is Well Cared For.
The man who is brought into the
service is better treated than the men
who enlisted last spring. He is fed
regularly and fed good food, no com.
plants ever being received in our out
fit at all; quarters with steam heat,
hot and cold showers are, ready for
him, he reads by electric lights and is
afforded almost any kind Of entertain
ment he wishes The army YIN. CA.
carries full line Of all athletic equip
ment for sall leading games and some
OF the outfits even have pianos and
pool tables for their men, so that the
embryo soldier doesn't even have to
leave the barracks to have all the en-
tertainment he needs. So while the
training is hard and one can't do
exactly as one pleases all the time,
the army is usually found to be
tolerably pleasant place for the con-
script"