The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1918-01-24
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LetteTSITOm dhu hpOut SOsuiefS
!.
In letter to his mother, Mrs. A. d.
Moe, Forrest l.. Moe, formerly SER
geant of 18th Co., tells of the sctivi-
ties at the recently established Off,
GERS Training Camp at Camp Lewis.
WASH, where he is now engaged in in
tensive study. Mr.. Moe writes:
81 think there are about $50 men in
the camp-300 in kle field artillery and
$50 in the infantry. We are put into
companies of 100 men each and each
company is a separate unit, having its
own separate Individual officers, or
instrutors. Two companies eat in one
mess hall, and the kitchen police, or
walters, are composed of negro soldiers
who are detailed for the work. Each
company has two cantonment buildings
which gives us plenty Of room to sleep
and study in. In fact, the buildings
could accommodate many more. The
buildings are equipped with electric
light, and we burn both wood and coal
in our furnaces, two of which are
placed in each building.
1--WE sleep on iron spring cots, and
are provided with straw tick two
blankets and comforter. Each man
is provided with chair, but has to
put suit case on bis lap to serve as
table or writing desk. We are what |
call very comfortably fixed and we'll
provided for.
This is almost an ideal site for
large army camp, for two main
reasons: 1t is level and has a very
good natural drainage. The soil is
coarse gravel and so deep with gravel
that it is nearly desert, the hills in
the distance being well supplied with
fir trees. There, within IL hours after
a heavy rain, the water has soaked
into the ground. We have a drill
ground of what | would call about
!, 900 acres, on which we can execute
almost any kind of maneuver.
Life here is the very personifica-
tion of system and efficiency-espec-
tally efficiency. Our work or program
is posted on the bulletin board a week
ahead of time and it is followed to the
weather permitting.
When the weather is bad we are
given special lectures on such as condi-
tions or experiences of the men at
present in the firing lines. Every per-
iod of instruction starts on time-to
the minute. Our hours of work are
the same every day except Saturday
and Sunday. Here is sample con-
densed program:
5.45 a. M, first call at which we
roll out of bed Immediately.
6, roll call, at which we are dressed
and in military formation.
6 to $50, we attend to toilet duties.
$50 breakfast.
7.l0, inspection of barracks by off
GERS of our company.
1908, physical exercise.
$3.50. field artillery drill.
$3.50, lecture.
l0-l0.50, drill.
l1-ll.45, drill.
IL, dinner.
l-l.50, lecture.
$3.50, drill.
$3.50, semaphore signaling.
5000, practice march, hike.
4.30-5, we read our mail, daily
paper, etc.
supper.
5.3O-7, we really have this time for
recreation purposes, at which time we
can go to the army post exchanges or
canteens to buy stamps, candy, tobac-
co, etc., or to visit and loaf.
10, study and examination period.
Every mans presence is checked up
for every such period.
"Our training camp officers are the
keenest bunch of men have ever seen
corraled together in one place in my
life. Although they drive US like the
devil we can't help but like them, be-
cause they are such able, efficient and
competent men. They practically never
make misstep, overlook anything or
forget anything. They themselves are
better than they expect US to be. Such
officers as that can't help but get the
best results of the men under them.
| can say thatsthis life the next three
months suits me to tee. )"
Lynn Tauscher has Just received
letter from his friend, Albert Gibbons.
former local boy, now a sergeant of
the regular engineers, part of the
American expeditionary forces now in
France, who declares that one will usu-
ally find the Y. M. c. A. huts filled
with soldier boys writing letters to
friends and relatives.
"A lot of fellows are here today as |
write" says Sgt. Gibbons, ''and they
come from every corner of the country.
But they are mighy fine bunch of
men,"
Within sound of the booming cannon
and perhaps within range of the big
guns of Fritz, Sgt. Gibbons thinks of
the Hood River apple crop.
'How is the apple crop this year,"
he asks. 81 would certainly like to
have a feed of Hood River apples, as
the ones we get over here are not very
good"
Sgt. Gibbons sends his regards to his
old fr;apdc Enmatt Top,Yk inc opJ