Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-09-29
COMMANDER At CAMP DODGE
AND PERSONAL STAFF TO SEE
ACTUAL Warfare.
WILL SPEND SIX WEEKS
ON OBSERVATION TOUR
Selected Men At Camp Dodge Assigned
to Depot Brigade to Go to Dsmins
Some Time Next Week - Trench
Training to Start Within Two Weeks
--clethins ssins Distributed.
Special to Times-Republican.

Des Moines, Sept. 29.-It is unoffi-
cially reported here that Maj. Gen. E.
II. Plummer, commander at Camp
Dodge. his personal staff, Col. Charles
i>S. Lincoln, chief of staff, and two en-
listed men will be sent to France with
n a short time for six weeks OBJ
eservation tour of the front. If the
( Camp Dodge officials go they will leave
here soon enough so that they can be
in France during the severe winter
weather here when they can best be
spared from Camp Dodge. They will
return in time to give intensive train
ing in the modern methods at the front
to the selected men here before they
leave Camp Dodge.
1t is expected that the selected men
now in the depot brigades at Camp
Dodge will start for Deming Tuesday
or Wednesday OF next week. The men
will not receive their equipment until
they arrive at Deming. They are under
command of Brig. Gen. c. c. Ballou.
Trench Training at Camp.
Trench training will start at Camp
Dodge within another ten days or two
weeks. Col. Robert r. Raymond. COM
mander Of the 313th engineer regiment.
reports that the engineers will lay ont
a-complete practice trench system. the
soldiers will be required then to dig
trenches and little later be given
training In lighting from the trenches
in a mimic war that is to be staged
\ The men may also be required to stay
in the trenches over night as well as
n, ,~;,,c }ha HoSy IN, nrdp fn 1oa + n
live in the trenches.
All Of the recruits are now equipped
with raincoat, shoes, shirt. under
wear socks and two blankets. Regu-
lation breeches and coats are soon to
Spe distributed as some $4,000 pairs Of
brooches and 5000 coats are now in
The camp warehouses and a large con-
signment is expected to arrive soon.
Soldiers Speak No English.
In one regiment at the cantonment
here, there are twenty seven men not
able to understand English sufficiently
to receive commands.
They ags from Minnesota. and
include four Italians, one Hungarian,
four Russians. five Russian Poles, three
Syrians, one Bohemian. one Greek, one
Jew, three tSwedes and four Poles.
One man, Of German descent, told
registration officials that the only
Foreign language he spoke was
English, but he is in another regiment
Those who were unable to under
stand commands are being taught what
the various commands in English
mean. This instruction is given them
the night before the terms are to be
used in drills, and in this manner tho
confusion that attended original drills
is being entirely eliminated.
Large Number Rejected. ~
Lieut.. Col. J. r. Shook. division
surgeon, will recommend the rejection
for physical reasons of 157 men in the
first 5000 that reported at the camp
in the second increment.
1t was said the percentage of
reflections was running q little higher
than had been expected, but this was
accounted for by the fact that local
board physicians certified men about
whom there was some doubt.
Joke on One Recruit.
There is one man at Camp Dodge
who has lost considerable faith in
newspapers, 1t happened IN this
manner:
When the postal authorities issued
instructions on the manner in which
mail should be addressed. newspapers
carried the form desired as follows:
John Smith, A Company, S50th in
fantry, Camp Dodge Ia
So this man wrote home to his
mother, telling her that while he
didn't get the idea" she was to
address him as John Smith, ETC., as
printed In the papers. -zsgsz,zsl--g--
He wrote frequently to mother, COM
planning of the non arrival of letters.
Finally mother investigated She
came to the camp personally. and then
the mystery was cleared.
Iowa Soldier Wounded.