The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-17
IN SOUTHERN CAMP.
George E. Parker, Formerly of Barre
Writes About II.

George Il, Parker, son of Mr. and Mrs
5. N. Parker, writes from Camp Hancock
Ca, where he is stationed with the base
hospital the letter being addressed tc
the Middlebury college Campus and is as
! follows:
To The Campus;
just a few lines at this time may give
you an idea of what is going ON around
one OF the large southern camps and at
the same time be Just few words from
former MIDI. student.
Our unit was organized last June in
Hartford, Conn, being made up of col
lege men and organized as United States
field hospital No. g. We were sent to
Fort Ethan Allen, where we received our
first training and equipment. On October
! we were transferred to base hospital
unit and sent here to Camp Hancock just
outside of Augusta, Georgia. The camp
consists of two parts: the camp proper
and the base hospital There are about
forty thousand men stationed at the
camp, most of whom were the Pennsyl-
vania national guardsmen.
The base hospital consists of fifty eight
buildings and can accommodate about a
thousand patients. II is one of the larg-
est and best equipped hospitals of its
kind in the South.
Camp Hancock is one of the best tent
ed encampments in the country. The site
Is splendid, upon sandy hill, the climate
is excellent. The DAYS are warm, fol-
lowed by cold nights and the local condi-
tons are very good, 1t is evident that
the committee on training camps has
thought of everything and planned for
everything Some of the features are
not yet in effect but enough is in opera
ton to prove that every man in camp
will be reached by influences which make
for the type of manhood democracy de
mands,
The Y M. c. A. is doing wonderful
work here and if the people back hons"
could realize what they are doing there
would be no difficulty in raising the
S35 100000. The Y NJ. c. A. buildings,
of which there are five or six here, are
about 40x20, with many conveniences for
our comfort and pleasure. AT one end is
long counter, behind which |
the secretaries pass out stationery, pens,
etc, gratis, and they are kept on the !
Jump from in the morning until l0j
at night At the other end of the build 7
ing is stage with dressing rooms on
either side. Here are held all kinds of /
and moving pictures.
is going on every single night !
and the buildings are always crowded
Over a thousand men are studying /
French under teachers who are instructed I
by a professor of modern languages from
State university, and
,lasses in higher mathematics are being
leld for the engineers. AT the base hos
oita there are lectures on first aid; ward
minor surgery and 0perat
ne room work. As am detailed as sur I
yeons assistant in the operating room. I,
I'm most interested in the lectures on
hat subject.
The Y. NJ c, A. is doing number OF
Kings which will in time be taken over
" the Fosdick commission. Over 1900
books are being circulated from the Y
" c. A. libraries. Gilbert and Sullivsn's
,pera "Mikadoa was presented by full
cast and made a weeks
tsnd at the camp not long ago, while
everal good things have been billed for
he near future.
Not long ago thrift campaign was
tarted which resulted in S35,000 being
ent home by the boys in single week
This was done by the Y. NJ. c. A, which
ellis express money orders.
1t is impossible for man to go to the
o2s in Camp Hancock unless he does so
and by violently breaking
ut of his environment.
George f. Parker, 1918.