The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-03-14
CAMP DODGE
NEWS NOTES
New Arrivals at the Iowa Cantonment
Are Given Vigorous Induction Into
The Military Service of the United
States Government. q
VERY FEW MEN ARE REJECTED.

American Soldiers are the Best Paid
Of Any Army in the World.-Ex-
pert Mechanics Are Badly Needed
at Dodge.
Camp Dodge, March Ia, 1918.-Ths
new men are having the time of their
lives getting into the why's and the
wherefores Of military service. Some
maneuvers they are asked to go thru
with at first looked rather silly but
as training proceeds they begin to see
how nicely each step is dove-tailed
into what follows. When they saw a
group of fellows on the drill ground
going thru with various stunts upon
their hands and knees and then upon
their hands and feet, with the body in
the form of rainbow, and in this at
titude running races and leaping over
various obstacles, or rather trying to
do SO, they thought it great sport
and easy to accomplish, but when
they were ordered to try the same per-
formance they soon discovered that it
was a real mans job and then some.
If there was stiff joint or sore
muscle, anywhere about the body is
was quickly located and this exercise
gave the inspecting officers clue to
the needs of each man. All kinds
of athletic exercises are given and
they all have in view the training Of
the physical powers SO that endurance
will be a prominent attribute. The
clock has been turned forward one
hour, so to speak, and from the pres
ent time until short days arrive in
the fall, the 88th division will be
awakened at 6:15 a. m. daily. With
first call advanced one hour in the
morning, a change in all service calls
has become necessary. Starting with
the breakfast call, which is now blown
at 6:45 all other calls have been set
ahead one hour. The first call for
drill is now blown at 7:50 o'clock.
Noon day mess call is the only one
not changed, as the new schedule for
camp life provides that dinner be at
IL. One new feature, coincident with
the change in calls, is the provision
for recreation hour between a and
p. m. daily. The sports and athletic
program is under direction of Capt.
Griffith who has assistants. enough to
give each Of the $4,000 men part in
the daily recreation period. The men
are getting along fairly well with
their punctured arms, vaccination be-
ing more serious operation with
some than others. About 200 of the
new men are in the base hospital with
various ailments but this is small
representation when the number of
men is considered. The new men had
some queer experiences. For ms
stance, fellows from Douglas county,
Minnesota, caused a furore at the reg
istration building when the leader Of
their contingent handed over 100 bag
gage checks to Colonel r. P. Howell,
with the request that he look up their
suitcases at the station, and return
them to the owners. The baggage
had been checked by the mems draft
board and not one of them knew
which check was his. Benton coun-
ty for Democracy was the wording
of streamer which stretched the full
length of car which brought dele
cation of selectives to Camp Dodge
from Benton county, Mimi. Ninety
eight men from Clayton county were
accompanied by the Rev. Isaac Cas-
sci, who is engaged in religious work
for the Congregational church at Des
Moines. The train stopped at four
towns and at each place they were
treated to cigars and lunches. Sheriff
Bergermyer of Clayton county and a
band escorted the men as far as Cal
mar. Col. H. P. Howell, who is at
the registration building, assigned
LOTT men in two hours. All these
were carefully considered, and placed
in organization in which they would
be of the greatest service to the gov
ernment. This indicates the complet-
ness of the system. Brothers are not
separated by the registration officers.
Col. Howell is told when new re-
cruit has a brother who also is to be
assigned. Every effort is being made
to keep brothers together.
To Be Few Reflections.
Medical examinations Of the $4,000
final increment men were completed
March 9Th. At the division surgeons
office it was stated that reflections be-
cause Of physical disability would not
reach more than one per cent. This
means that local boards will have to
send only $50 additional men to the
cantonment.