The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-26
~ It Pieases Upton's Com
nlandcr.
NO IDLE TIME In SCHOOL
Men Training for Commissions Get
Touches Of Real Work in Warfare.
Trying Jobs Overcome by Graduates
OF Plattsburg.

erai TO have a buck private, even Ii he |
happens TO be studying for a commis- /
sion. stick an evil looking bayonet up |
in h-s face and demand the counter |
Sign and lot OF things like that But /
this Is exactly what Brigadier General
Evan NJ. Johnson. division commander, /
went up against the other day.
II seems that the general was max |
ing his daily ar trl-weekiy tour of in /
spection and while his army car was
hustling him out in the direction of
the rifle ranges he was suddenly
stopped by loud, well placed com
n1and 70 Haiti
Who is there Pc sturdy youth de-
mnnded--the "ls" replacing the old
fashioned goes" IN who goes there?'
shuff}ed Off with many other antlquat-
cd array customs at our advent into
the big show TN France.
General Johnson" the command
ing officer promptly answered.
Advance one TO be recognized"
the student officer sentinel came right
back at him.
The general advanced, showed a
generals silver star on each shoulder
strap, pointed to his government car
with the red starred flag of brigadier
rlutterinS above its radiator, and gen
orally established himself.
''PGs# General Johnson" the sent5-
mel finally allowed. bringing his oayo-
.neted rife to snappy present hrms-
Real Soldterty Behavior.
And General Johnson rolled on by
pleased beyonds words at the business
| Ike and soldierly behavior Of the
young student There was no foolins
there--It was a straight. sure and very
correct JOB az the outguard work of
ian outpost detachment And II re-
Elected exactly the grade of instruc-
tion given the student officers by Lieu
tenant-Colonel Walter b, McCaskey
an his corps OF officers.
/ Today the officers training school
/ Is in the mi9die Of the seventh week
| Of its hfteen weeks course. Originally
the training was intended TO be for
/ thirteen weeks. but recently II was
! decided TO add two weeks so that the
graduates could he taught certain nee
lcessary and rather difficult things
about army paper work. One of the
most trying Jobs that the Plattsburg
graduates had TO overcome at the be-
ginning of their active service was to
master all the hundred and one details
connected with keeping army records,
1t lie now proposed to break trail for
this by adding the two weeks special
paper course in this third training
school.
Altogether there are 500 students
trying for commissions In the school
at the present time The greater
majority OF these are Camp Upton
draft men. selected by their com
) manders for the school. The gs@
mainder are enlisted men from the
regular army In the Eastern depart
} ment and college men from certain
Eastern universities who have had
} military training. Every student had
} had certain amount of military
! work before entering the school and as
a consequence advancement has been
more rapid than at either OF the two
iprevious officers training schools.
From reveille at in the morning
until 9 or $50 in the evening, when
J The anal lecture is ended. the 500
student officers are kept hard at 1t. AL
day they are put through the PAGES
OF actual military training and at
{ night there are special lectures. oral
tests and written examinations. Their
only period of real rest In Saturday
afternoon, at the and OF the weekly
> inspection. Theoretically their work
is then over until the following Mon
day morning. but there usually are
, special books and war department in
struction to be read and mastered
which makes the rest period really
| Hlled with ''honing." Uncle Sans Of
t fcers factory really grinds seven days
\ a week.
The candidates for commissions are
! divided into three infantry companies
!, and two artillery batteries. with ape
Q clsl detachment of negro student on
V GERS. who, following their graduation.
8 win return as officers TO the 267th
infantry stationed at the camp here
o Each platoon is commanded by a cap
Y tain of the reserve corps. These men
: acted as assistant instructors at the
q second Plattsburg camp and were very
4 carefully drilled for this special work
V The plan is for every student In this
r school in turn to I'll every post from
= a private to a company commander
70 at one time or another during tht
r training. At the end of the course q
: certain per cent will be INN ediNtel,
# commissioned as second lieutenants
O while the remainder will be put on ar
g available list and returned until com
d missioned to their former units with
= the same rank they held when the!
IS Joined the school.
g At Work on Rifle Ranges.
Il All this week the student officer
n have been firing on the rifle range, an.
o within a short time they will be kne,
deep in trenches OF their own digging
A certain sector of the great system
of division trenches that are alread
laid out and partly built will be turne;
over TO their special use, and here will
s be staged as thorough and complete
course In modern trench fighting a
h the genius OF the American Instructor
a. and French and British army officer
v. here can conceive, Wire entangie
.e ments will be strung, outposts estAb
3 lished. attacks and enemy repulse
N staged with the artillery and machin
y gun students laying down barrag
r. fire
ST In every possible way the student
will be prepared to take up platoo
l. leadership at the end OF the course
,e with a two weeks quarantine LITE
"a last Saturday and with a return @
l. warm weather the work will no,
70 jump forward at even a greater spec
st than the drive of the last six week
has been able To accomplish.
just what disposition well be mad
of the school should ths division h
D. sent overseas before the close of tn
10 fifteen week course Is matter OF cor
~ lecture, but II IL very probable that
Ia Will, be moved with the division a
10 that the new oficers and the men o
r. the waiting list can Immediately joi
thetr CID oeurnands -----