The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-09
ASSEMBLING RECRUITS
How the Soldier Is Manned and
Equipped.

Equipped.
One of the things the national army
soldier will always remember. tho
other incidents of life in barracks and
field may be forgotten, is that of his
induction into the military service Of
tie United States. But many of the
incidents connected with the enlist
ment of the thousands of men at
Camp Funston last fall are not to he
repeated when the new draft comes
to this division in few days. Dough-
boys of last. fall remember distinctly
the cold showers. Cold showers are
not in vogue these February days The
incoming recruit may not feel the
needlelike icy sting of pressure show
ers unless he feels so inclined. The
water is being warmed these days
Then, too, the red tape of the earlier
drafts. True the same forms and
cards must be filled out for the new
soldiers but there is to be system to
it. No mere need the top sergeant
rout out the wondering recruit with
order to report to the orderly room for
service record, enlistment and assign
ment, allotment and qualification in
formation and mysteries of the kind.
No longer that endless string of men
dependent upon the tender mercies of
a supply sergeant for coats, and shoes
1ilI SOCKS lIdL never seem L
Things are not being done that way
these days Wherein lies the story of
what is going on down at buildings APT
anu 430.
The recruit is to find himself being
assembled. Just like a certain popu-
lar manufacturer of tin f1ivvers turns
out a machine the prospective soldier
is to find himself manufactured COM
plete from the raw material to the
finished man of arms. And it is no
figure of speech to write of raw ma
terial. They come to Camp Funston
raw, very raw. The soldier. will leave
the train at Artillery boulevard on
the west line of Camp Funston proper
where a spur of track is to be reserved
for just this purpose From this
point he will be conducted to building
430 nearby. Here the curtain lifts
on a new stage in life and the show
begins.
Buildings 427 and 43o are connect
ed from bathhouse to bathhouse by
gangways and the recruit may have
a momentary sensation Of stock yards
and packing plants and cattle being
driven to their doom, but such a no.
ton won't last long. In the bath
house every mothers son of them
stands forth and scrubs away the last
vestige of the old world and the
things that do not belong in the new.
Then he checks in the civilian cloth
to APT and upstairs where a corps of
army physicians are making the ex-
aminations for physical fitness. If
the candidate is unfortunate enough
to be rejected by the physicians. he is
forthwith dispatched to a nearby Of
for him and he may take the next
train home.
Should he be accepted, he descends
the stairs" to the outfitting rooms
vh
Stacked in this room at the present
time are piles and piles of garments
and equipment. Clothed as a soldier,
the line moves back to 430. Passing
one table the service record, the form
that is to be the history of the life of
the soldier during enlistment, is be-
gun. At the next his enlistment and
assignment cards are filled out, at
another he Is given an opportunity to
allot portion of his pay to the folks
PACK nome. Then he ascends the
stairs again and his qualifications
along particular lines are ascertained
and a card filled out accordingly
Downstairs again, he finds an express
office where he makes a parcel of his
civilian clothes and sends them home
Having made the rounds he is ready
for the detention camp to which place
all recruits are to be sent and de-
tanned until vaccinations and inocu-
iat1ons are completed and the pres
SAASS vi 1oSChCO VI COURAGEOUS diseases
determined. Then. when the recruit
is finally assigned to an organization
he is ready for duQ, and his records
are complete with the exception of
war insurance which is to be sub
scribed thru the company commander
over at 427 and 4so army officials
in charge of the new draft at this
camp conducted a test with fifty dunn
my recruits one day last week The
nifty men were sent over the course
thru which the new draft must 60 40
the rate these MEN were handled the
department can take care of 400 re-
cruits a day. Further tests are to be
made, however. The mark is one SOL
der, fully equipped with records made
per minute.
This Camp Funston soldier had
been discharged and was busted in
checking in his things preparatory to
taking leave. He didn't seem the least
bit cheerful about it either as he
talked the matter over with his
bunkie. His health was apparently
good but the army doctors had decided
him unequal to the exertion of drill
and duty At home his trouble will
probably never bother him.
"Oh, boy" spoke up his friend,
"wish't they'd find something the mat
ter with me-
You know what I would do said
the other. I'D trade this discharge in
a minute for good, sound heart"