Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1919-06-08
PROPOSE REGULAR
REST AREAS FOR
BORDER SOLDIERS
General Rivers Approves Plan to
Send Men from Lonely Posts
to Recreation Centers.
IS W. c. c. S. SUGGESTION

Rest areas for soldiers stationed at lone
~ border posts may be instituted following
the plans used In the American Expe-
ditionary Forces abroad. "A five to seven
day furlough to be spent at some seaside
resort or In some city upstate would be
given 20 = soldier every four months under
this plan.
The War Camp Community Service is
sponsor for this innovation. When the idea
vas put up 10 General William G. Rivers,
commanding the Brownsville border patrol
district. on Saturday afternoon it met with
his warm approval.
"The idea is fine" said General Rivers.
"and Zee no objection to its being car
fied out. would be perfectly willing to
give men under me a furlough of from
five 70 seven days every four months and
send them to Corpus Christi, Galveston,
San Antonio or any place that might be
designated as rest area
"Some Of the posts in the Brownsville
district are far from attractive places to
spend month after month seeing the same
things and doing the same things. Men
1t posts like Fort Ringgold and Sam For
dyce ought 70 be especially favored lii y
matter Ike that---it's pretty lonesome work
Tor them. At Sam Fordyce there isn't even
town, and at Fort Ring9old there is
only small town with no diversions for
the men except what they can make for
themselves
II think it would be fine thing to send
men from such places off for a change of
scene and recreation. 1t would do much
to tone up the morale Of the force" the
general continued. "See that man has a
ound-trip ticket, let him draw his pay and
20 off for good time. At the end Of his
furlough he would come back strapped and!
busted and thinking that the old place
wasn't so bad after ALL
"Ihe matter of where they shall spend
their furloughs has always been left to the
individual initiative Of the men themselves.
But IL the War Camp Community Service
takes IL up and makes arrangement to ac-
commodate soldiers on furlough at the sea
side or in big cities where they can get the
sort of good time they want, all the better.
II they provide hotel Accommodations or
sleeping quarters ut rest centers and let
Us keep them filled with men on furloughs,
that would be fine.
''It was the theory in the A. f. r. that
each man was to have seven days furlough
to rest area every four months. Not
many men got theirs--we were too busy
chasing Germans. didn't get one myself.
al the while / was in France, but that does
not make the idea any the less admirable.
Applying it to conditions here had not oc-
Cured to me, but it looks good"
In the A. +. r. leave areas were set
aside at Aix-lcs- Bains, La Bourboule, Nice
and other famous pleasure centers of peace
time France. The best hotels and the
Casinos were turned over to the army and
run free to the troops by the " M. G. A.
The British, French, German, and in
deed all armies had leave system that
worked out Justly for all. As matter of
fact IL would have been made hot for the
war office If regular leave had not been
granted. Tommy and the Poilu. and even
friend Jerry on the other side of No Mans
Land, went home regularly on furlough.
When the military situation became tense
and an offensive was in the air all leaves
were cancelled, but as soon as the war set
tied down to a steady give-and-take again,
off went half the opposing armies to visit
the folks. The Americans being too far
from home to return there, were provided
"s~ff AtHt 1ttd---dfiu tNUSt WHO uSeQ IHtU
will never forget the relief and general
good time they gave war-worn soldiers.
According TO the War Camp Service
there is just as much need along the bor-
der for rest area system as there was
in France. They propose to fix il up. The
W. G. c. s. has figures that show that so
per cent of the desertions are caused by
homesickness and plain blue devils.
General Rivers believes that such plan
could be authorized BY the department com
mander at San Antonio, without recourse
to Washington, involving a long cores
pondence. He will approve any move the
w. c. c. s. may make towards alleviating
the condition Of the lonely soldier who COM
posed the song: 'Down on the border we
get boreder and boreder."