Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-03-28
Our Soldier Boys.

Our Soldier Boys.
W. 9. Clifford, Co. D, ITO Engineer ri
Camp D%oniphan, writes home folks at
Vulcan he is feeling fine. Says he has
just returned to camp from a five days.
hike wllsah he enjoyed very much,
He saysft8A every one he is we'll and
tell them to write. Says he JUST re.
ceived some maple sugar from home,
which was excellent.
Otto Rieke, Band 63d Infantry,
Preside, California, writes that they
are now being trained with gas masks,
that the other day, one poor fellow,
foolishly lifted his mask and began to
sing, ''Over There" That soon he
was indeed "over there" his life
sacrificed to his carelessness.
LIST Lieutenant James II. Martin,
Co. 90, NJ. o. Il. G., Fort Riley, Kan
sas, writes: IL will just write a word
to tell you how much we enjoy read
ing the REGISTER, especially the
column devoted to the Soldier Boys.
l have been here for about six weeks
undergoing the intensive training re.
quired Of medical officers before be-
ing sent to France. Medical training
seems to be the least important part
of the course. We are taught Military
Tactics, Military Map Drawing and
other important subjects usually re-
quired of line officers. We are drilled
and liked to thelimit of our endurance,
but instead of becoming discouraged
,... hnnnr,a ,1,y>va aaptnt, nvaryy don,
that we will finally 'lick' the Kaiser.
All that worries me is the thought OF
my wife and children back at Pilot
Knob"
G. f. Smith, Company Commander
and Physical Instructor, in 3D. Regi-
ment at Great Lakes, Ills, passed
through lronton on his way 10 his
home near jackson, Mo. Last Septem.
Der he enlisted in the navy in sea
mans branch. He has passed from
third class to second class and now is
a first class seaman. He says that
the Archbishop OF York who visit
ed the station recently says it is by
far the greatest training station in
the world. In talking with him he
gave us ar interesting history of the
naval uniform. He says the three
stripes on the collar are in
tended to represent the three great
est naval battles ever fought, That
the black tie at the neck is mourning
for Lord Nelson. The two stars on
collar stand for the work of Admiral
Dewey aud Farragut. One stripe on
wrist indicates the rating of appren-
tice seaman. Two stripes, second
class seaman, and three stripes frs,
class eaman The thirteen buttons
on the trouses represent the thirteen
original colonies.
Ferd Schmitz, whose family now
live in De Soto, but whom most Of us
remember as old Irontonians, enlisted
in the Fifth Regiment, which was
finally merged into the l3Sth Infan'
try, at Camp Doniphan. terd was
made q sergeant in the 13Sth. But
now he has been selected as a
Mechanic Sergeant in the Anticratt
Machine Gun Battalion, which is now
stationed at Camp Wadsworth, Spar
tanburg, s. o. Ii is the only organi-
cation of its kind in the United States
He wi Il 500 60 10 London to tinisl
his training.
Corporal Jerry Wick, Co. H, 13stf
Infantry, in u letter of a late date
writes: "We started at 4 A. NJ. on
six day hike. 1t was cool ard We
started with u o%vercoats, but by the
time the II was up W. could not ge,
rid of them too soon. We halted at
1880, pitched shelter tents, and spent
afternoon in working out problems Of
small sham battles. Daily inspection
was held and all who had bad fec,
we're treated by hospital corps. They
also had a detachment Of signal corps
along with us, and whenever we made
camp they would put up their field
wireless outfit, 80 that the battalion
was a always in connection with Divis-
ional Headquarters. In this way they
received an order to send the bayonet
school men back to camp by the first
available means, but not by the boot
and shoe route. They always pay
strict attention to Divisional Orders,
SO Monday A. NJ. we packed up and
piled into one Of the supply wagons.
II you want to get some real
rough riding, you should 60 about
rs miles in an army supply wagon.
The next day we had examinations to
determine II we were capable OF being
instructors In bayonet work. / fin
ished my test and believe I came
through 0. K"
Another Iron County boy In the
service Ia Emmett Gillian, who IL In
Electrical Department, Go. r, 362d
Infantry, Camp Lewis, Washington,
He says Camp Lewis is a beautifuI
place and he enjoys army life, He
has received q medal for being the
best drilled soldier in his company.
David Stanforth, co. q, 1Soth In.
fantry, Camp Doniphan, has beer
with his brother, l.. Il. Stanforth, fol
two days this week. The 1Soth Infan'