Weekly journal-miner., 1918-08-07
ROCKIES GIVEN TOUCH OF REAL
 WARFARE
AIM OF THE MILITARY TRAINER TO MAKE TRAININ c A s M U C H LIKE THE REAL THING AS POSSIBLE.

CAMP FUNSTON. Kan, Aug. ,. It is the aim of military trainers to make the training conditions as much like the real thing" as possible. Therefore, it is not long until the re- cruit gets his baptism of fire"-and in sure enough trenches, too. Of course, the recruit IS in no real dan ger, but they are real bullets he hears. They sing their peculiar little song as they pass over the trenches above his head Occasionally one bores through the top portion of the cmbankmcnt and drops into the trench. The natural impulse of the rookie is to pick it up and exclaim Look. this one came through the breast works" Possibly he does not get that far along in his exclamation when he makes a new discovery. The little steel capped bullet is quite hot the rookie has further use for ex- clamation-and he drops it quickly shaking his singed fingers.
 The rockies baptism of fire" is obtained in the target range. The men in the trenches manage the tar gets and at intervals change places ually there are about POO targets in rSc at the same time, so the sound of the rifle firing is quite realistic.
 The target range is beyond Fort Rilcy-from FunSton-and the boys usually march to the target range, a brigade at a time Approximately six teen companies). On this eight mile hike they pass through Fort Riley, where the regular army men put the new army soldiers on their metal by their scrutiny and an occasional quip
 houted from a barracks porch. On this hike the men carry heavy packs md their eiqht-pound rifles, and on a hot day it is quite a severe test of
 the lads staying powers. Not in frequently a recruit falls out of the -anks exhausted or overcome by the heat and is picked up by the ambu- lance wagon. The brigade goes into camp at the firing range and remains several days-uSually three or four. In this period no time IS lost. The sol dicrs are mp at a. m., and the tar -Nl l'l dAllNA bN gus siN NOOlA eiN AiN sun rises sufficiently to make the view good. The main target field is mile east of camp and has 100, 200 and 900 yard ranges; the long range field is a mile west of camp and has ranges of 500 and 600 yards. The men are broken in on the short ran in trenches eight feet deep. The tar gcs, usually spending three of their
 four days practice the first time out
 on the shorter ranges. The rifles lrc lca~-- an1 have solid recoil. Th" r- lc who does not learn to once . hold his gun close to his shoulder is likely to have a lame shoulder on the second day out. The men are rotated SO that each takes his turn at firing, marking up scores and setting targets It is the latter duty which gives him his first trench experience.
 The targets are four feet square and the target handclrs are stationed gets are operated on slide, so the men beneath it at no time arc exposed After each mans turn at shooting, the target is drawn down, the dis lance lIOiH tue DuilScNc measured ana ,hc result is signallcd back to the fir ing line. The rapid firing practice
 is fast work It requires ten shots within sixty seconds. The target manipulators raise tne target. leave it there for one minute, then withdraw
 it. The bullets hit the target with a report almost as loud as that Of a revolver. This is the rockies first
 acquaintance with being at the tar get end of firing, and naturally his
 mind is occupied with the idea that
 going over the top" is no child's play.