The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-11
A new RECRUIT
st. Louis Barber Tells Of First
Experiences In Army.
After. He Gets Thru Introduction
Machinery, Likes Army Life.
BY H. E. FISHER.

BY H. Z. FISH e.
, A bunch of rockies filed down an
aisle in the receiving station depart
ment here, shooting the shoots. as
veterans of the process express IL
Their clothes had been taken away
from them, they had been I'D:
! whirIed around, put thru the nuntred
and one tests of the army specialists
and altogether were a bewildered lot
! as they herded their way toward the
chute leading to the place where they d
! were TO collect their new clothes, piece
by piece. cafeteria style, when tail
4and dignified man was heard 70 re-
mark:
Joining the army takes the starch
out of a fellow" This st. Louis bar
Der came in the contingent of 4S2.
IT was always used to being treated
with little consideration until 1
| came down here" he added by saying:
Hhere were times in the machine
like grind when sort of felt like my
dignity was being abused.
| When 1 landed here off the train
I expected to make little better
showing than most of the boys, cause
/ was dressed rings around them and
ought to have attracted a little atten-
ton. But 1 didn't They stuck me
in line with a janitor clear back in
the tail end of. the string.
Then I was asked, when were you
Ivaccinated last and for what? The
next one wanted to know. 1 didn't
4
didn't make much difference anyhow,
cause they would vaccinate me again
TO make sure. While was talking to
him ANOTHER fellow tickled my right
lArm and / reached up to scratch it.
There was. blood on my fingers 1
asked what was going on..and he said
that had been vaccinated. He sent
me over to another one, to finish the
Il Job. He took hold of my right arm
and asked me what the mark on my
fteft arm was. 1 couldn't see anything
there. but when 1 looked back he was
Just pulling out a needle two inches
!, long he had stuck me with when l
!. WASN'T watching him.
> All the way thru the machine each
| man had made a black mark or my
] chest to show what he had done to
line read the laundry marks on me,
and marked me o. K. and sent me
down to get some new clothes.
Downstairs they were passing out
/ clothes and I was sure glad to get
some after being punched and raped,
) tagged and .jabbed for an hour or
more. They gave me some under
Z clothes and socks and shirts without
: pants I wanted 33 inches waist The
: clerk insisted on giving me 81 and
!, when tried to show him the mis-
take. he insisted that they would sure
ly fit me in a few days, remarking by
saying, You'll shrink"
I'll ) suppose he knew, so when 1 went
to the shoe counter 1 thought I'd fig
ure on the shrinkage and show them
that was learning their way of fig
uringg .Sevens," l said to the clerk.
. because wore eight Tens" he said,
otter looking at my feet and tried
pair OF tens on me, telling me l would
fit them in few days.
\ was then commencing to learn
that 10 was hard to be dignified in the
army, for / was here as soldier now
and all my former memories vanished.
1 was then passed on to another
counter, but this time 1 was in very
4 gentle manner asked to be seated,
/ when I was then put thru the third
1 degree. L was asked all my family
! secrets. then another recorded my flu
! ture hopes. and another asked lot of
: foolish questions a baby could have
: answered. It's hard enough to be dig
! nified with your best clothes on, and
) Impossible standing in a line of naked
: men. Then to have to stand up there
r stripped and answer these questions
made me wonder what I'd come for
. Then L went to a gang of eye doc
- tors. My eyes are all o. K, but you
> can't tell these army doctors anything
v one ordered me to shut, another to
|, open 'em, shut and open, shut and
: open. till l. was blinking and squirting
? like / was lodging a cinder.
: sit down." one yells. and sat, for
2 was here to obey all orders to the
2 letter. He started more silly questions,
! and while 1 wasn't looking hit me on
: the knee with a rubber hammer,
7 making my foot fly out like i was
1 kicking, Biff, he took the other and
it flew out.
! asked an old timer who Vas help
ing what was the idea? It's to shuck
out the nuts from the boneheads he
: says. He AIDED, 1.-The doctor can tell
! by the way they kick" but / don't see
how cause some didn't kick at all and
others kicked like ballet girls
= The next doctor lined US up on a
circle painted on the floor. started us
: jumping up and down and I thought
e he had forgotten to tell us to stop, I
o Stacked up little to get breath, but
d 1 he stuck his finger at me and bawIed
a me out right before the whole gang
). Don't start welching already kid,
: he says. and it made me so mad
Y outtumped the whole gang and made
e him laugh.
= Finally he called me up and prod
:. ded my back and looked me all over
!, and pronounced me o. K.
IS Then we were hustled into a NOV
), ing van and hustled off to the Tent
: fCity. i sure wa. glad when it was all
IS over for was now in my new clothes
and sure felt proud to be here.