The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1918-06-27
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-'HE MAKING OF A
L. s. SOLDIER

thank all OF you for the heartfelt
good wishes that you are sending
with me as do my bit
will try and give you a little In
formation In regard TO the making of
a U. s. soldier as far as I have gone.
We arrived here about two o'clock
yesterday afternoon. There we're
some twenty OF us, all members OF
different quotas. the rest having
arrived before us. w we're imme-
diately taken in charge by an officer,
our names taken and our baggage
loaded into army trucks. along with
five or six men who we're being brot
under guard. As near as could
find out they we're slackers. We
never saw them again and ] under
stand they are in the coop" as Il Is
called.
We we're en.llned up and march,
ed about three-fourths OF a mile TO
where there we're several hundred
other men assembled Here our
questionaires we're examined and we
fell In line, marching thru n long
tent until we came to clerk who
took our Identification cards, and
gave us a minor physical examina-
I tion.
We then went to the pile where our
luggage was stored. picked out our
belongings and fell in line. About
three hundred OF us we're assigned 10
the 23rd Company, Second Battalion,
given cards from both the Knights OF
Columbus and Y. NJ. c. A. and
marched 10 the barracks. Here our
names. address OF local boards and
date OF birth we're taken, we were
given slips OF paper and sent into n
room where our measurements for
entire outfits were taken.
Immediately after supper there
was a roll call In front OF the bar
racks to which We were all required
10 answer "here"
We were then issued tick, three
military blankets. a comb. brush.
tooth brush. a towel and soap and
assigned TO our quarters.
The beds are small steel cots, the
stationary kind. not at all uncom-
Portable. We were instructed 20 take
our ticks which are made OF material
like sheets. only coarser. TO room I
where there was lot of clean
straw. Here we filled them. return
ed TO our quarters and we're instruct
cd how TO make them up. AFTER this
we marched 10 the hospital building
where we removed our coats and
barred both arms 20 the shoulder.
forgot 10 say we were given a vaecin-
alton slip which we carried In our
left hand. We filed in. marching
tors were working. As we entered
slowly thru the room where the doc
a man washed each arm 10 the
shoulder. another painted the right
arm with iodine. Our vaccination
slips were taken from our hands and
marked as we passed along. The
first doctor on the left made three
slight inelsions In the flesh and the
next one applied the vaccine. which
! suppose was for smallpox. The
next man on our right gave us a
hypodermic for typhoid.
After returning to our quarters We
were given the rules. These are COM
plete cleanliness and tidiness In and
around our hunks. no talking in
quarters after . o'clock. at which
time the lights are turned out, 10
smoking and everyone in bed AT II.
II obliged TO leave the quarters
after that time they must be abso-
utely noiseless. not allowing the
heels to touch the floor. Any one
iisobeying these rules is subject TO
,ourt martial
Our rising whistle sounds at 5;t5
md we are given seven minutes IN
which to assemble in front of bar
'acks for roll call A few OF the
boys Ialnted al roll call THIS morning \
BECAUSE OF their vaccination.
A few minutes were given us To /
idy up for breakfast, after break
We were given a chance to put In a
inal plea for exemption but as out
4 sixty five pleas none have been
,ranted in the last three months |
hink the most OF them are foolish to
other about Il.
The next thing is the military hair
ut.
We have been mighty busy so far
nd expect to be buster later. l be-
eve that am really going TO enjoy
be- service.
will endeavor to give you some
lea of the magnitude of the camp lat
MELVIN J.. cUsHMAN.