Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-02-27
SIXTY-TW0 BOYS OFF
FOR CAMP DODGE
Dinner Given By Commercial
Club leave On Special
Train for St. Paul.

Kandiyohi County's last contingent
of the First National Army arrived at
Camp Dodge this morning.
The leavetaking at Willmar yester.
day brought in large crowd from all
parts Of the county; in spite of bad
spring roads.
The sixty-two recruits were present
on roll call at the court house, and
received instructions and were ad-
dressed by the local board members.
At twelve o'clock the boys were es-
corted to the Masonic Building, where
dinner was given them by the WILL
mar Commercial club. The attend
ance at the dinner was limited only
by the number of places available.
Rev. G. N. Tegnell Of the Mission
church said grace, after which the
good and appetizing things prepared
| by the ladies were disposed of. The
Juvenile Band, under the direction of
Prof. Harstad rendered several selec-
t1Ons while dinner was served.
Judge T. O. Gilbert, president of the
Commercial Club presided. He called
on DR.. Dawson of the local board, as
lone who had seen more of the boys
than anyone else." The Doctor re-
sponded with praise for the physical
condition of the men, and declared
that better material for soldiers would
not be found in the world.
Samuel Nelson and Peter Bonde, the
other members of the board, were also
called on and spoke we'll of the boys,
who, they said had met every demand
made upon them. They wished them
Godspeed and safe return.
DR.. B. ]. Branton, member of the
District Board was called on, and re-
viewed briefly the work his board had
been called upon to do. He gave the
Kandiyohi county board praise for the
in it's work.
to take out some of Uncle Sans war
insurance, and pamphlets giving infor-
nation were circulated.
Mayor Wellin was called on and as
sured the boys that city and county
we're proud of them.
+ Supt. G. A. Foster made a spirited
response and gave the boys some good
advice to rise to the opportunities as
they come. He spoke on prepared.
ness, and said that the boy who will
advance fastest is he who will show
that he can be depended upon to do
what is required to do.
Sophus Larsen was called to speak
for the boys. He gave thanks for
what had been done for them, and
said they we're going out for action
rather than talk.
The exercises closed by the singing
Of America led by the band. The boys
then went to the courthouse to spend
the time with relatives until the train
would be ready. Headed by the band,
and escorted by Civil War veterans
and school children and others, the
recruits marched to the foot of Fifth
street and boarded the train near the
Gamble-Ro obinson fruit house The
Juvenile Band continued to play selec.
tions until the train was made up and
pulled out Cars with contingente
from Wilkin, Stevens and Swift coun
ties we're attached and a special train
was made up with cars sufficient fol
picking up the Meeker county boys al
: Litchfield.
; With the Kandiyohi county contin
gent, there were also two outsiders
entrain here for Camp Dodge. The
one was George r. Smith, registered
at Miles City, Custer county, Montana
the other was John Marcus of Nah
; nomen, who, on his way to report fo1
entrainment at his home county, miss
ed his train in Willmar and was give1
, permission to leave with the Kandi
yohi county boys.
OF the men under the draft age IL
Kandiyohi county, there has been f1f
ty-seven voluntary enlistments; twelv,
! OF which have been in the Navy ant
forty-f1ve in the army. Credit is give1
! the county on its quota Of men to b.
I furnished for the war on all army en-
| listments but not on navy enlist
i ments.
Owing to ailment of Christos F
Il Christofllopoulis, one of the sixty.tW,
men called to go, it developed upol
II Charley A. Miner Of Willmar as th
/ first alternate to go. Clarence o.
lando Forsberg, the second of the a.
ternates, however, volunteered for e1
listment, releasing Mr.. Miner fro1
going at this time.
III Oscar Pearson, first man, was
join the boys at Minneapolis. Jaco
E. Berg, who registered at Whitefiel
was given permission to entrain fo
Camp Dodge with the Fort Dodge IL
crement.
\ Sophus Larsen was appointed 1eade
of the Kandiyohi county squad to hav
charge of the men until they reache
camp. His assistants were job
Feig, Oscar Olin, Ralph Digman, WI
lam Soldering, George Peterson, E.
ward Graunke, Gerrit Korthof an
Clarence Berg, each having charge I
Y eight men.
Mr.. Myron, clerk Of the local dra
board, accompanied the boys.
The man coming the longest ID
tance to report for entrainment vii
the Willmar increment was John
Phillips. He had travelled all the WI
from Elmira, N. Y. and was Il
deck" to answer roll call
I The Swift county boys had hung I
their coach so that ''he who rul
might read" who they were, namel
"Sw1ft County's Kaiser Swatters."
A good business in "Sm1lea
Books" was done, and most of the bo
were provided with them. The w.
T. U. ladies distributed Komfort X
to each recruit, and ladies of the Ct
had provided lunch box for each
cruit so that they would not need
hungry at any time before reachi
the camp.
A message received by the Tribu
from Carl Nystad states: Leaving
Paul this evening at eight O'clock
noynn Tho, hova ara horrx,n