Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1919-08-01

the apt reply: "Sure. we introduced
( then into France
1t seemed to the weary men that
the march would never end. Thru
I: sea Of watery mud they plodded
five miles to the very farthereSt end
OF the Camp. arriving at an open,
untentcd field, and there was a
sinking of hearts, for everyone eX-
pectcd the command Form for
shelter tents" However, the Squad
ron Plot was found, with good old
| pyramidal tents hurriedly erected
! in muddy field. Too tired and
weary for further effort the men
Immediately kicked in and started
TO catch up for lost sleep.
The next mornings light showed
them the beauties of the Camp. To
! get a fair idea of the seemingly I'M
organized turmoil Of mud and hui
mans. imagine the crowd Of base
ball fans leaving the ball park at
the close of the greatest game in
the Worlds Series. Herd them all
into running rivers of mud with a
bottom of uncharted rutS and holes!
AS soon as they are so thoroughly
packed in that there is not room for
another, start hundred motor
trucks at full speed from every pos
siblc direction, instructing drivers
to splash as much mud as possible.
Alternately turn on the hot sun and
the pouring rain-and VOLTA! You
have Brcst! Yes, but the best Tor
rather, worst,) has not been told!
There are not enough trucks to
haul water. The water tank wag-
ons are hauled through the mud by
teams of fourteen men. Had the
good Creator failed to put little
creek a quarter of a mile from the
Squadron Camp, the men would
have had no means for washing
themselves or their clothes. And by
the time the Sweet sea breezes' had
swept over the Camp they had
gathered up all the odors of the
open q. l. Can latrines and were
laden with smells that were any
thing but pleasant.
But perhaps the largest jewel in
The Crown of Brest is the Feeding
| System. There are several large
Camp Kitchens. The 4S4th was or
dcred to Chow" at Kitchen No. I.
To assure getting anywhere near
enough to satisfy the inner man it
was necessary to be somewhere
near the head of the two long col
umns of squads which packed the
main camp road during meal hours,
and TO get such Il position of van
| tasc ii was necessary to march to
The kitchen full hour before The
doors were open. When, after an
hours wait, The men finally reached
The "MesSpen', they were handled
as though they were being granted
privilege instead Of being given
something rishtfully due them! By
The use of extreme foresight, the
squadron had brought with it three
days extra travel rations. BY the
iudiCious use Of these, the men were
saved the suffering of standing in
line in ankle deep mud, an hour
for brcakfaSt--and were insured a
cup Of piping hot coifec-(which
they might or might not get at the
Mob-kitchcn). Indeed, many of the
men could stand only one meal a
Gay, so unpalitable was the food
there.
Although it is biting cold at Brest
good part of the time. only three
Siblcy stoves were issued for the
twenty four tents. And the only
wood obtainable for these had to
be bought from farmers. And, lat
or, because of high prices charged,
NJ. P.'s were placed at each farm
to stop the men from buying wood.
mere was no way 10 keep warm
except by going to bed.
Had the men encountered such
conditions when they first Joined
the army they would have passed
out. 1t seemed now that nothing
could break their morale. Despite
mud--despitc rain and cold, despite
unthinkable food, somehow, some
way they kept on smiling. Before
Taps one could hear singing and
Joking and laughing going on in
;hc tents.
Immediately upon arrival the
Headquarters force found itself
facc-to-face with Gorgon headed
monster with milc-long snakes of
Red Tape. The good old DAYS of
! Inc Zone of the Armies with its
short cut around systems had been
lclt behind. Here were piles upon
plies of forms TO be filed out, COM
pared, checked and rccheckcd be-
lore the Squadron could be report
ca as "Rcady for Inspection before
EmbarkatiOn." Every day brought
some new form or some new sori
or inspection which had to be ac-
compliShed before The Squadron
could embark.
On December oath the Squadron
was inspected by a CaDtain from