The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-05-30
DIR. RIPLEY WRITES.
Former Kenosha Physician Now Lieu
tenant in Medical Corps, Writes of
Life at Camp Greenleaf. Ga.

C0uaQC III MSuACd1 OO4po, WA1CcS VI
Life at Camp Greenleaf, Ga.
Lieut.. H. M. Ripley, prominent Ke-
nosha physician who enlisted in the
Medical Corps some time ago, has since
been transferred to camp Greenleaf,
Ca, from where he writes the follow
iDg interesting letter.
"The length of my stay at this camp
for training is uncertain, due, of course,
to the rapid turns of the side in the
battle on the Western front. If condi-
tions are favorable the medical officers
win be allowed about three months at
training camp, but if there is need for
many medical men overseas this time
will be markedly shortened. At pres
emit men who have had as little as
from ten to fourteen days at camp are
under orders to leave for Somewhere
at moments notice and rumor has
it that these short periods of intensive
study will in the immediate future
be the rule.
There are at Camp Greenleaf, medical
officers training camp, on the average
about twelve hundred student officers.
There is, Of course, great variation
in this number due to the departure of
/" seasoned" officers; this loss, however,
being constantly being made up by the
arrival of "rookies."
Many of these new men come from
the other American medical training
camps, Fort Riley and Ft. BENZ. Harris
son, chiefly. The war department. plans
eventually to make camp Greenleaf the
largest and only training camp for
medical officers.
The commanding officer here is now
Col. Munson. He replaced about May
10th Gen. Birmingham, who, was
detailed to other duty. Under Col
Munson 5 command besides the M. o.
II. G. are troops of infantry, cavalry,
machine gunners and | believe body
of artillery, also R. 0. T. 9. for train
ing of officers of the line Hence, in
all, the camp holds several thousand
men, about 10000 I am told.
Uncle Sam furnishes us plenty Of
good food, comfortable quarters and
well-regulated and systematized mental
and physical training. In return he
demands hard work in generous meas
IRE, due, of course, to the present ur-
gent demand for military and surgical
efficiency.
just a few rods to the north of our
barracks is the Ft. Oglethorpe Deten-
ton Camp, where some Of the enemy
aliens, those of a dangerous nature are
imprisoned. Among these prisoners is
the German officer who commanded the
sea-raider, Eitel Friedrich The news
papers published at Chattanooga an
nounced this morning that four aliens
had escaped. | most sincerely doubt
whether they reached point of safety,
having seen for myself the guard sys-
tenn about the detention camp. Pro-
badly "a sentry had the satisfaction Of
depriving Herr Wilhelm of valuable
aids.
DO nOb COhCIutl0 1IOIL any SGdGGln6HUS
made, in this letter that the medical
corps of the army is overcrowded for
it most surely is not. There's an ur-
gent need for medical officers which
can and must be supplied by the pro-
fession, who as you know have respond
ed satisfactorily. Every doctor who is
physically fit (and the requirements are
not now very rigid) and is reasonably
free from civil membranes should
not delay in offering his services; not
with the idea of making money or Of
leading an easy carefree life (for
this will be impossible) but with the
realization that our country has urgent
need for his services.
Hoping to receive the News within
few days, [ am,
Yours truly,
H. M. Ripley.
P. S. We wouldn t know what to
do here without the Y.M.C.A., or the
Red Cross"
1