The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-01-09

truck and quartermaster departments
as well as the four b~attalions Of Depot
Brigade organizations, are to be held
intact. These r to handle the rou
tine camp work and the troops being
d~emcbilized and discharged here.
That there has been some confusion
in the public mind between the words
Rehabilitation and discharge" as
used in recent new reports is stated
by an army official here who explains
the difference.
When, in the present work, a body
of troops is demobilized, it is merely
disorganized. The men are split uu
and sent to camps within $50 miles
Of their homes for their final dis
charge. Discharge" means the final
mastering out of d man from the ser.
vice.
Camp Funston, therefore, is a point
of both rehabilitation and discharge,
being spoken of. however, as a demo
bilization camp. When an orgariza.
ton is sen in for rehabilitation it's
final affairs are wound up The men
who live within $50 miles OF Funston,
or to whose homes Funston is the
nearest camp are paid off and dis
charged direct. The others are sent
in groups in charge of an officer to
their points of discharge.
The heaviest portion of the huge
work of ~discharging men at Funston
falls on the Finance Department of the
camp, for which the discharge work is
in charge Of Capt. VIM. Richie, Jr.
In addition to the routine closing of
service records, hundreds Of difficult
problems are presented for solution
every day. One of the most novel
cases is that in which the men have
seen foreign service in England,
France, Italy or even Russia and have
incurred obligations or have been par
TALLY paid in the currency Of those
countries.
AS the rates of exchange vary from
time to time the date of payment or
obligation due must be determined.
Then the amount in pounds, francs,
rubles or lire must be translated into
the American figures in accordance
with the rate of exchange in force at
that time. The whole thing presents
a task that keeps many experts busy.
In the final paying off of men in
the finance Office Capt. r. T. Marys,
the paymaster, has established a rec
ord of 407 men in an hour. The can
torment finance department as a
whole is under Capt. C. J. Burson.
Two thousand men a day can be
discharged from Camp Funston when
all portions Of the big rehabilitation
organizations are running at capacity,
according to figures given out today.
This means the closing Of the military
affairs of 1000 men by the Depot Brig
ade battalion TO which they are at
tached on their arrival in camp. The
payroll on 1000 men with all of the
incidental problems arising must be
finished and the railroad routes and
ticket rates figured on that number. 1t
has not been found necessary to oper-
ate at the capacity rate yet. The 49,
900 men so far discharged have gone
out at a rate of as high as 1900 per
day only. At present in addition to
casuals from overseas and other
camps and the 10 per cent of the 10th
Division, there is a complete battalion
of U. S. Guards in camp from the
Rock Island Arsenal awaiting demo-
b~ilization.
Debarkation Hospital, No. 2, New
York. January 6th.-Typical of the
middle west is Felix Schmidt who is
viewing New York for the first time
M of the windows of De-
barkation Hospital No. 8, here in com
pany with thousands of other wounded
lads from overseas. A little over a
year ago Felix was a farmer boy in
SanbOrn county, South Dakota. 1t is
doubtful if he had ever seen a pic
of a modern American heavy ar
tillery piece, much less touched one.
Then came the call and he S1ent to
Camp Funston, where he was assigned
to the 340th Field Artillery. Now he
is a returned hero, a veteran of des-
perate lighting and an expert in hand
ling the big guns which smashed the
way for the infantry at st. Mihiel and
the Argonne. On his left sleeve
his gold overseas service chew
and on the right a similar one for
wound received at Xerces on the
2Sth of last September as his battery
dueled with the Hun to make the way
for the doughboys. New York
to fete him. 1t wants to dine
him, take him to the theater and on
in sumptuous motor cars. But
cares for none of this. He has
seen New York from the hospital
window. He wants to forget the war
and all Of this hero business. Sitting
on his hospital cot he dreams of the
when he will be discharged, and
Of the west where the pillow cuts a
straight, long furrow through the
black loan. And Felix is but one of