The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-07-29
MCPHERSON BOYS
ARE CLASSIFIED
AS ARMY OFFICERS
Continued from Page one)

active officers in training the new army
drawn by selective draft.
i Then there are three other groups Of
men to be commissioned those who are
assigned to the quartermaster's depart
ment, those for the ordnance department
and five young men from each company
to be made provisional second lieuten-
ants in the regular army The provisional
lieutenants will be sent to Fort Leaven-
| worth for 80 days additional training,
and If they then pass the required ex-
aminations, will be assigned as second
lieutenants in the regular army. The
men for the quarterma ster and ordnance
departments will also be assigned for
| special training, it is reported.
CALL SOUNDED TO FALL IN"
The first intimation of what was in
store for the men who bad labored so in
| tensively for the past 10 weeks or more
came Tuesday afternoon. Further con-
frmation came the following day For
several days the camp had been agog
with all kinds of rumors and reports.
The men were in state OF agitated I'M
certainty. The situation was causing
worry, for no man knew with any de-
gree of certainty whether he was sched
uled to be a captain in the first line or
sent home without commission of any
| kind.
1t was 12:45 o'clock Tuesday afternoon
/
| for all men in company one to turn out
| at o'clock flor classification" In an
| instant the company was in a state of
nervous excitement. None could tell with
any degree of certainty just what "for
| classification meant
| However, every man seemed to know
| instnctively that the uncertainty of the
| past few weeks was to be broken at
| last. There was mad rush to shine
/ clothes
| otherwise prepare for some momentous
event. And ALMOST instantly the word
was waited down the long rows of COM
pany barracks that the big moment was
about to arrive.
When company one fell in and saw
! little group of high officers surveying
| them, they knew the suspense was to
be broken. Then the acting captain an
nounced that each man whose name was
/ called in the first group was to step four
braces to the 'front.'. AS the first few
names were called, all realized that tho
men considered the most experienced
and the most proficient were being sum-
| moned in pretty much the order in
which they were popularity supposed to
stand.
There was a certain grimness about
the matter as the captain, in rather mo-
notonous manner, called out the names.
All seemed to realize that upon this
decision might depend the future course
Of their careers.
GROUP B is CALLED
After group A had been called group
| B was told to step two braces to the
front and again the reading Of names
began Then the five provisional second
lieutenants, the dozen or more men for
the guartermasters' corps and the ord
nance department, the men for aviation
and those for the second camp fell in to
the right and left.
The command at east was given,
and every man looked around to see how
the lines stood. score or less Of men
still stood in the ranks OF the original
line. They were instructed to close in
to the right as their names were called.
They we're discharged Thursday.
| STAND AT RIGID ATTENTION
The efficiency board made its nspec-
ton while the men stood q rigid at
tention. They were given a scrutiny
about as thorough as could be mag
ined and then dismissed On Wednes-
day the commanding officer who was
absent on Tuesday made a similar in
spection. The same process was re-
peated in the companies all the way
down the line
The exact number OF officers in each
grade is not definitely known to the
men, but each is reasonably certain Of
; his status. Two or three near the Dor
der line between the captains and first
lieutenants are not quite certain in
which group they fall. The same is true
Of those near the dividing line between
first and second lieutenants. But there
are only a few OF these, and they are
certain enough to rest their minds ana
settle down to TIE grind which bids fair
to continue up to the closing day OF the
cAunp. august II.