The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-06-11
Fort Myers Embryo Officers
Find Their Jobs No Snecure
Month Works Great Change in Process of Transforming
"Green" Civilians Into Efficient Soldiers.
By d. NJ. MeKELwAY,

one month ago today some 1000
men from colleges and the various
professions OF civilian life arrived nj
Fort Myer. Each was stuck In the
arm with a needle and filled with dis
gust and what the doctors said were
ESQ, 900 diseased typhoid fever germs
after which each was measured for
q uniform, assigned to a bunk, given
a pair OF blankets, four sheets, two
pillow cases, a pillow, and mattress
a complicated lot OF straps and can
vas called a light pack, a bayonet
scabbard and belt, and, last of all, q
very greasy rife. He was told to
clean the rife and be in bed al
9:45 p. m.
The next morning, one solid hour
and thirty minutes before reveille
and after a rather sleepless night, the
2, 900 ex-civilians rose straight up In
their respective badly made hunks
and dressed as hastily as they could
locate their clothes, heaved signs OF
relief when they found an hour or
more yet was between them and
reveille and stood idle and waiting
for something to do.
This morning, one month later, II
you happened to be in one OF the long
narrow barracks at the unearthly
hour OF 4 a. m. you would find silence
and a company of men, sound asleep
You would notice piled neatly on the
rafters above each upper bunk man
his clothes, and on the hooks in the
wall at the head OF each lower bunk,
the military habiliments OF the man
-. harfh On
the floor rest two pairs OF shoes and
two pairs Of canvas leggings.
@Fifteen Minutes Before ReveIIIe."
II you kept quiet and stuck
around" you would see one hour and
thirty minutes later a sleepy candi
date, acting FIRST sergeant, squelch the
tinglinK ring of a faithful alarm
clock. grab a whistle which hangs
near his bunk, and blew a long
mournful blast. As the blast came to
an end, you would see down the long
line OF hunks more than 100 heads
raised in protest, and above the low
hum Of means and damns you would
hear the FIRST sergeant yell, Fifteen
minutes before reveille"
You would see the stretching OF
more than 200 arms, and then the gen,
eral coming to life of company OF
soldiers, ready to begin another day
Each man reaches for his garments
with the unerring precision whicn
comes from knowing exactly where
each one Is. and in less than nve min
utes YOU would see a score of them
fully dressed, grab soap, towel ano
toothbrush. and rush toward the Law
~ NhA alnWaF ones
still wrestling with an unruly pair
OF leggings.
And in another ten minutes you
would see every bunk empty. and out
side in the company street two long
lines Of men, slicked as to hair and
shining as to countenance, answering
roll call. And after the dismissal
there is fifteen minutes and much 70
be done before breakfast With prac
ticed hands each bunk is made
down" blankets and sheets tucked
in at the sides and smoothed in the
middle in a way you once thought
only mother could do. There Is some
dust under the beds, on the extra
shoes, and on the trunks, and along
the walls the shelves are a bit untidy
Learned Much In q Month.
w ME luc uppNE
ranges the shelves and lines the comb
brush, toothbrush. and shaving uten
sils up for inspection, the lower-berth
man is busy with broom and dust rag
and when breakfast is over and you
come back into barracks everything
looks clean, and fresh and where II
ought to be, and the men gather in
groups and smoke those frst-in-the
morning cigarettes with the relish
which only comes when you have one
whole half hour before the next
formation with nothing to do.
In the one month of soldier life
Just ended we have learned quite a
few things out at Fort Myer that we
didn't know before. For instance, we
have by iecessity become aware Of
the fact that there is a place for every,
thing, because II you put an article
in the wrong place, you won't be able
to locate IL, but the company instruc
tor will find II on his tour OF inspec,
ton Just as sure as the sun shines
and there will be a black mark placed
beside your name.
We have learned that a broom and
the accompanying dust rag rank
among the worlds most useful inven-
tions; that when you make your bed
carefully in the morning you will
thank your stars for 1t at night when
YOU turn in; that the only difference
between a rife and a vacuum cleaner
is that you don't have to feed the
former with electricity to make It
absorb all the dust and dirt in and
out of doors: that the care OF our
bodies is worth as much as the care
of our minds, for the necessary CO.
ordination between mind and body
will come only through constant care
and exercise. But above all, we have
learned and are learning how alb
STAFF corps: Major Merch B. Stew
r.hrlnnrnn La.