The Washington herald., 1917-10-31
Ten DISTRICT
Men RELEASED
FROM WAR DUTY
Army Life Proves Too
Strenuous for Some of
Local Quota.
BY ANDREW r.. KELLEY.

BY ANDREW II. hELLEf.
Camp Meade, Admiral. Nd, Oct. 3d.
A sailors life is quite romantic
When sailing over the broad Atlantic,
But soldiers life is a fraud gigantic
II this is what he must do
After observing one Private Dyer
swing 4 pick and shovel and one
"Binsy" Bryan. acting corporal. peel
potatoes and other things that a first
class housemaid and cook can per-
form, and then watching Squad Lead
er Charlie McCann telling his force
how to clean up a barracks, one Won
ders whether the above doggerel verse
does not fit the feelings OF the red
blooded men Of the national army from
Washington.
And the answer is that it does not.
For the esprit de corps of Camp
Meade is constantly increasing and
the desire to outdo his fellows and win
the honors that will place him above
the other men in the ranks is an in
spiration to every man in the great
military machine of which Camp
Meade is an important cog.
soldiers Get Homesick.
When old Jupiter Pluvius opens up
diRO NAlC NAliip 10 tONNAOu a SNo
of moist rain. as it was today, it
brings the dreary feeling and the long
ing for home. because drills are sus-
pended and the men have opportunity
to acquire a taste of nostalgia, which
the doctors tell US is the worst dis
ease which can infect a camp and in
Southeast or Northwest Washington
language can be best described as
homesickness.
They drove that away today, how
ever. by lectures to the Washington
boys ON rifle and pistol practice. The
soldiers want to learn this information
about the implements OF war which
they will eventually put their foot
upon Prussianisn. and they are eager
to memorize the words of the officers
who are talking on experience based
upon the European battlefields.
Ten Men Sent Home.
They sent home ten more of the
District men today, and while they
were glad to get back to civilian life,
the majority left the quarters with a
pang of regret over severing relations
with barracks companions who have
become part OF their family. The
boys to return were: Samuel Bassett,
John Sullivan. Denis Mclaughlin,
Fred Dowell, Antonio Pugis, Leroy
Bradley. Robert Brady. Murray Rab-
bitt. Ralph Saffel and John McDer-
mott. Saffel had been given orders
to move to some Atlantic seaport for
service and was disappointed because
of the order to return home as ply
sically unfit.
While no information can be given
out as to the destination of the Dis
trict troops that have been ordered
to move. this much can be said !:
Uncle Sam will not send one man
to the front line OF trenches in
France. or with the fighting overseas
forces until he is thoroughly trained,
and only those WashinEtonians who
have had previous military expert
enCe can possibly come under this
category. II will take at least nine
months of intensive training to teach
these civilian boys the manual of
arms and the elementary tactics 0t
drill. and then they will have to have
some months of instruction in real
warfare some place over there" So
that unless precedents are upset it
will be some time before any Wash
ington names appear in the casualty
lists.
$50 Ordered Away.
One hundred and fifty more men
move tomorrow, and some of them live
in the District More men are COM
ing in every day. The Districts full
quota will eventually be quartered
here. at least temporarily, and all the
men are eager TO welcome the tramp
Of marching feet that have been ac-
customed to Pennsylvania avenue side
walks.
Maj. Gen. Kuhn may soon leave here.
No official notification has been re-
ceived. but the underwire reports
whereby official news filters into this
camp state that he is slated for higher
honoTs.
Gen. Kuhn was military observer fog
the United States government before
Uncle Sam decided to enter the war,
and he knows as much about the
kaiser's military tactics as any one
in the War Department.
Oficers and men Of the Seventy
ninth division have learned to love
the man or Tower Hill. He has made
an impression upon them that they
will never forget, no matter who may
lead them in battle. He has talked
with Wilhelm, Mackensen, Won Kluck
and all of the tribe who nourished an
ambition TO rule the world, and his
selection as chief of staff of the land
forces of the United States of Amer
lea now seems imminent.
Apart from military Stuff" the
boys are all concerned in the Hal
loween celebration which will feature
the three barracks of the 312th Ma
chine Gun Battalion, which house the
District boys.
Each company is trying to outdo the
other in the program which will be