The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-08-08

g~ritting their teeth and replying
We'll show 'em!"
One hundred and fifty %lieutenants
new division arrived from training
camps in various portions of the
country a week ago, and are under
going a final ten days of intensive
training under the direction of the
foreign officers, to fit them for their
duties. They are now in the trenches
of Carpenters Hill, occupying them
under actual battle conditions, and
getting the fine points of actual gas
defense, trench raiding, patrOlling,
wiring and the many details of mod
ern trench warfare at the hands of
British and French officers who have
proved themselves masters of their
craft on the worst sectors of the
western front. The model platoon
system, originated here some time
ago, will be carried on in the training
of the Tenth Division. Already four
of the organizations of experts have
been formed and are deep in the in
struction which will make them in
s%tructors, as platoOns and as indi-
tended that the model platoons, Of
which there will be one to a regiment,
will be perfected and specialized in
all branches of intensive warfare, and
can be regarded as examples of well
trained troops, and a standard to be
worked up to.
A parade held daily excepting on
Saturday and Sunday, will be an at
traction on the grounds fronting on
ton to which visitors will be permitted
according to a recently issued order.
The roads leading to and from the
zone will be open to spectators be-
tween the hours of five and six in the
afternoon, the first call for parade Oc-
curing at five-ifteen. The different
organizations of the Tenth Division
and the 164th Depot Brigade will par
ticipate in these parades, according
to a weekly schedule.
The practice of several southern
draft boards in re-inducting negroes
who have been once rejected by the
army for physical disability, and send
ing them to Camp Funston, is being
looked into here, and seventeen spe-
cifc cases, forwarded from a local
board in Vicksburg, Miss. are being
held for investigation and a ruling.
The men held here, were originally
sent to Camp Grant. Ill.,, it is said,
and were returned from there as re-
jects. The causes ranged from under
weight to a case Of stammering which
totally untitled one man for service.
After their return to V%icksburg, at
they were again picked up by their
local boards without further examin-
alton, Notwithstanding the fact that
they had their draft discharge papers,
and SEM to Camp Funston in the col
ored quota Of last week. Several of
the negroes claim that they were not
given thorough physical examination
by the surgeons Of the local boards
before their first induction. Other
cases which are not matters of rec
ord but of similar nature, have turned
up here from time to time. it is said.
Railroad men tell the story of one
negro arriving in a recent draft who
appeared to be far above the military
age. How old are you, Uncle?" he
is said to have been asked. "Ah,
CANT tell you, subj" was the reply.
when were you BORN" the question
er insisted. "Ah doan jes rightly
know, boss" the negro answered. On
further questioning. he is said to have
finally come forth with the astonish-
ing statement, "Yo' see, boss, when
a white man has a big gun in de mid
die Of yo' back an seq yo's twenty-six
yo' sho am twenty-six, dassall." The
man was appearantly somewhere in
his fifties.
The receiving station here, which
takes in thousands Of civilians every
day, and like a huge mill, grinds them
out the other end as fully equipped
recruit soldiers, handles many strange
cases. 1t is an army-making mill in
deed, but it established its best record
recently. when it took in an appar-
antly incurable conscientious objec-
tor, and turned him out a soldier,
eager and willing to fight for his
country. The objector arrived with
the late draft, bearded, with long un.