Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-28
kHAK|-C[AD BOYS
TAUGHT TO SHOOT
Thousands Under lnstruc-
tons In Big Gun Handling
at Fort Monroe.
OFFICERS BEING TRAINED
Special Correspondence of The Star.

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FORT MONROE. Va, October Is
Teaching the young American idea
how to shoot. with a 13o-ton gun, is
the task that 'confronts the veteran
officers Of the Big Dun Corps here, as
Thousands Of khalei-clad boys with red
hat cords around their hats are rolling
joyfully into camp on tho second lap
of their march to Berlin.
Like bees at swarming time they
have left their hives, the sixty coastal
forts. They have settled here, but not
for long. Just long enough. in fact.
to get practice in the art Of using
their singers" which are from
twenty-five to fifty feet long and ca
pable- Of hurting anywhere from a
half to a ton Of high explosive shells
from fifteen to forty miles.
School a Vital Factor.
With the conversion of the more
than 100000 coast artillery officers
and men into heavy artillery. regiments.
trench mortar and anti-aircraft bat
talions. the, coast artillery school has
become a vital factor in the winning
of the war. Here gunneyy as applied
! to- field methods of shooting with can
non that throws high:explosive shells
weighing upward of a ton thirty miles
or more has been reduced to an exact
science.
The coast artillery school has two
main departments-the enlisted spe-
cialists and the officers training camp.
A staff of 600 artillery officers con-
stitute the corps Of instructors and
executive of the two departments Of
| the school.
The Student Army Training Corps at
the various colleges is sending down
| candidates for the officers training
! camp at the rate Of $50 a week. Two
| hundred second lieutenants are grad
uated every week, and a new class Of
zoo candidates enters the camp. A
! three months course Of instruction is
uously in operation, and within two
weeks 5000 aspirants for commission
IN the heavy artillery will be in tratQ-
ing here.
Enlisted Specialists Branch.
| The enlisted specialists department
is under the direction of Col Eugene
! Reybold, a regular Army officer Of
PEI WITH the
army of enlisted specialists is re-
quired to handle and operate the giant
tractors and railway mounts.
| Fourteen hundred chauffeurs are
department to put the tractors and
railway mounts through their PAGES.
The personnel of this department also
numbers 5000 men, bringing the total
specialists in the coast artillery
school up to 5000.
| The enlisted specialists department
furnishes the bulk Of the non-com-
missioned officers of the heavy artil-
iery 5egiments' and are specially
backbone Of every regiment and are
as necessary as the guns themselves.
| There are five courses for enlisted
specialists Gas these non-commis-
ter gunner. sergeant major. cleo
trician sergeant, radio sergeant and
motor transportation.
Each course is of three months
duration. except that for chauffeurs,
which is four weeks. Courses are
continuous, commencing on Monday of
every third week. Students report
ing during the interval between the
starting of the new classes are placed
in reservoir organizations and given
such military and mental training as
may be required. Upon successful
completion of the courses the men
are given warrants as non-commis-
S'I any registered man. With special
Qualifications. may apply for induction
Into the coast artillery and assignment
Ito the enlisted specialist school at Fort
Monroe.
Some Requisites Outlined.
The applicant for the master gunner
lcourse should have a thorough ground
ling in mathematics, including some sur
tVeying, also some knowledge of survey
ling and mechanical drawing.
For the sergeant-major course, the
applicant should have had considerable
clerical experience. Stenographers with
iolfice experience, typists, secretaries of
business houses and men of office ex-
lperience are eligible. Stenography is
rot essential but of value. Clerical ex-
,perience is essential.
The requisites for the electrician
course include familiarity with cleo
,tricity and electrical apparatus, either
,through school or practical experience;
ia knowledge of mathematics, including
elementary algebra. Electrician ser
lgeants in France are charged with the
installation and maintenance of com
lmunication systems of the regiments to
which they are assigned.
| Forthe radio sergeant course the
! applicant should be proficient in
mathematics, including elementary
| algebra, and should be able to send
and receive at least ten words a min
! ute in the continental code when they
begin the course. His duties in
| apparatus for the heavy artillery,
which forms the method Of communi-
; cation between aircraft and artillery,
| and liaison with other units at a
| distance.
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