Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-03
Touches Many Phases of Life
in Travel, Camp and
Field.
FIFTY BASE HOSPITALS;
1900 NURSES SERVING
Refreshment Units, Emergency
Work, Knitting and Aid to Pris-
oners in Germany Features
of Movement.


ing for the American soldier in the can
comments at home and in the field over
seas?
This question is asked SO often by
the public that it deserves a detailed
reply. Occasionally inquiries come
from the rockies" themselves, showing
that the extent to which the Red Cross
touches upon almost every phase of his
Army life is only dimly realized. This
is largely because one entire and pow
erful stream of Red Cross energy flows
into the Army organization itself. thus
losing it's identity; while another por-
ton of it strikes his vision only when
he is ill or in distress, or when some
intimate work is to be done in connec-
ton with the home he has left behind
him.
Take the case of a soldier summoned
by the selective draft in his native vii
1age in Minnesota, for example. With
in a few hours he is on his way to the
cantonment. The trip in the dusty,
stuffy day coaches may be long and
tfresome.
Refreshment Unit, First Surprise.
Imagine his appreciation. therefore. when
1
Red Cross chapters have been notified of
his coming or of his passing through. and
that the women have gone in force to the
station to prepare coffee. sandwiches
and other refreshments for him. All
along the way he finds that the Red
Cross women have been organized into
refreshment units.
The function of this service is to supple
ment the efforts of the War Department
and the railroads in providing for the sus-
tenance and comfort of troops en- route
More than 1000 chapters. from the Allan
tic to the Pacific. have established re-
freshment units which are organized on
military basis. When heavy troop move
ments are in progress-particularly ito an
Atlantic port preparat tory to embarka ton
for the battlef1elds of France-the work of
the refreshment units has been tested
times without number and has proved
uniformly successful. The work of the
units is particularly valuable in case
of disarrangement of train schedules
due to foods. billiards.. etc. resulting
in the exhaustion of troop train sup
plies.
The refreshment units are under the
general direction of the canteen service.
directed by Foster Rockwell Each unit
has a commanding officer and an inte1li-
gence officer to whom is intrusted In
formation of troop movements in their
respective localities.
# Young Soldier Gets Sick.
If the young soldier falls sick in can
Torment he goes to the regimental hos
pital, or to the base hospital if the ILL
ness is sufficiently serious to require
special treatment. The physician who
attends him may be one who was
and it is more than likely that the
nurse who ministers to him has been
recruited and trained by the Red Cross
nursing service, which is one of the most
ra1Ir1 ne % AJ
tivity.
The Red Cross is enlisting more than
1000 volunteer nurses a month and is
training them for work in the field. It
sends them to the Army fully trained
and equipped.
Red Cross base hospital unit con-
sists of % surgeons and dentists. 65
nurses and 152 men of the enlisted re-
serve corps. A commanding officer. a
quartermaster and a hospital sergeant
are detailed to the unit when 1t is mus
tered into the Army Medical Corps.
Fifty Base Hospital Units.
Fifty base hospital units have been
organized. nineteen of which are now
seeing service in France. and for ten
others the nursing personnel has been
supplied by the Red Cross. With their
equipment they have cost. approximate
ly, 100000. There are forty-five am
bulance companies. each comprising 124
men-a captain. four Iieutenants. two
first-class sergeants, eleven sergeants.
six corporals, one mechanic, three cooks
and ninety-six privates. Four ambu-
lance companies are assigned to serv-
ice with an Army division. and the per-
sonnet may be used to man hospital
trains, hospital ships, and, when the
emergency is great, emergency hos
pitfalls.
More than. 1900 nurses have been
enrolled by the nursing service of the
d 6 a
active nursing service. of whom about
1000 are in France and elsewhere
abroad. Another 1000 are doing teach
ing and committee work; 1000 are en-
rolled with special units for immediate
service. and the remainder stand ready
to serve required.
Special trained nurses are being held
in readiness for work in units devoted
eases and public health. Plans also
have been made for special nurses
trained in the care of mental diseases,
to serve in the mental wards of hospi-
thopedics are being prepared to meet
the needs of the MANNED in the recon
struction hospitals.
House Soon for Each Cantonment.
A Red Cross house is to be establish
ed in the environments in the near flu
ture. 1t will be a symbol of the distinc-
Cross does for the soldier. 1t is aimed
primarily for the convalescent rookie"
During the long process of restoring
him to health the Red Cross will pro-
vide him with all the comforts and
pleasures he Graves.
NQne of the first of these is to be built
at Camp Meade, Nd, for which bids
soon will be opened at the office of the
department of military relief of the
American Red Cross. Construction
work in all the other camps and can
tonments is to be rushed.
For the convalescents many new
comforts will be provided by the Red
Cross house. These will include a
porch-and stage on Which movies
and other entertainments can be given.
A billiard room, reading room, recep-
tina foonlS and committee roGnts. n
large assembly room and kitchen will
be provided on the first floor. the second
floor being given over to bedrooms.
These Red Cross houses also will pro-
vide emergency lodgings for summoned
relatives CT those soldiers who may he
dangerously ill. The plan will serve
also to develop to full efficiency the
Red Cross communication service,
through which families and friends of
soldiers can obtain prompt, accurate
and detailed Information as to their
welfare. This service covers the camps
and centonsnents in the United States.
as well as back OF the battle lines
abroad.