The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1918-07-06
Alp h a Depart m e n t

health, clean consciences, wholesome |
self-respect-men!
This story had started out to say
that the men from Detroit and Michi-
gan are now full-hedged soldiers of
Uncle Sam And so they are. The
transition took place last week. Tues
day.
That was the biggest piece OF work
that the Dixie division has ever un-
dertaken and carried through to COM
pletion without hitch or the least
trace OF lost motion or red tape en-
tanglement. Every commissioned and
commissioned officer and enlist
ed men was kept busy from reveille
10 taps.
The work consisted OF transferring
the 5000 or 10000 draft men from the
two provisional regiments OF the
quarantine camp to regular outfits.
About 1000 men were transferred TO
each of the infantry regiments-the
One HuniEed and Twenty-irst, One
| Hundred and Twenty-second and One
Hundred and Twenty-third - and
about 500 were transferred to each OF
the artillery outfits--the One Hun
dred and Sixteenth, the One Hundred
and Seventeenth and One Hundred
and Eighteenth field artillery regi-
ments. The rest OF the men were
transferred to separate units in the
division.
They received these assignments,
each man according to his peculiar
personal fitness for the work'to which
he was assigned. This was made pos
sible through the personnel bureau, a
brand new adjunct of Uncle Sans
army, which was tried out" at Camp
Wheeler on the Michigan and Illinois
men. and which worked with far great
err efficiency than the officers had ex-
pected.
The transfer of the new men TO
their respective units was all accom-
plished within one day. Ordinarily
such transfer would have required
several days, but through the plan
worked out by General II. f. Steiner,
who had charge OF this work, the
transfer was accomplished in record
time.
The men knew at breakfast time on
the morning OF the transfer TO what
units they would be assigned. and
were told to congregate at specified
mess shacks with their barrack bags
and personal belongings after break.
fast. They were then marched. bae
and baggage by company to the par
ade ground, where they gathered
around posts bearing placards OF
which the name OF their future regi.
ment had been painted When al
had gathered they were lined up ant
marched to the headquarters of the
, regiments to which they had been as
signed. In some instances, the new
( arrivals were met and escorted to thu
regimental camp by the regimenta
band and were welcomed by an Officer
, representing the outfit.
7 1t was an unusual and remarkabl,
spectacle this consolidation OF troops
. from the northern borders OF the Unit
ed States with soldiers from tn,
southern border II was thing which
, history will record.
Soldiers from the shores OF Super
Tor are marching side by side witt
, men who were reared on the shores
! Of the Gulf OF Mexico. Men from
: Menominee and Mason mix togethe
. In the routine of camp life and tn
! bread stretch Of country between Sag
NAV bay and st. Andrews bay ha
been spanned. On the company street
: that have been heretofore tro
on.y by men from Georgia, Florid
o and Alabama, there will be seen me
. from Sheboygan and the distant Saul
q ST Marie. and they will be comrade
n of men from Mobile and from Maco
i and from Miami.
: Never before has there been so ei
: fectiye q melting pot as Camp Wheel
err is now. Here are men to whoI
the mysteries OF the Okefnokee ar
an open book fraternizing with fish
ers frcm Mulletts lake; hardy col
per miners from Calumet and mil
workers from Kalamazoo mingle wit
farmers from Kennesaw and other
proving that after all II is not sue
great distance from Bay Minette
Bay City.
II will be recalled that year or |
ago when a number OF Ohio men wei
sent to Montgomery, Ala, for mil
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