Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-15
D. c. GUARDSMEN
LEAVE TODAY FOR
TWO WEEKS CAMP
Rigorous Training Period
Faces New Soldiers at
Camp Lee.

With a rigorous training period OF
two weeks facing them, beginning al
$50 o'clock tomorrow morning, 16C
members of the reorganized District
National Guard are leaving the Union
station this morning for the former
Army cantonment at Camp Lee, near
Petersburg, Va.
On their arrival at the camp about
3 o'clock this afternoon the men will
Join fifteen other members OF the
District guard, who were sent ahead
last Friday to prepare for the COM
ing of the larger body.
For the first time since 1915 the
District National Guard will go into
training quarters, this time at Camp
Lee, a part of the country never be.
fore selected for the local guard
muster. The guard had real training
lean border, and still more real action
when it was mustered into the fed
eral service in 1917.
The camp which begins today In
Virginia will, therefore, be the first
for the present guard, in which COM
ganization which existed before the
war have enlisted. When the former
District guard was mustered into the
federal service during 1917 it's entity
as a separate unit was merged into
the United States Army.
After the armiStice the guard re-
commenced recruiting. and the foun-
dation has been laid for what Gen.
Stephan, the commanding officer,
hopes will be an organization fully
as strong as the former District
outfit.
Garry Full Equipment.
All the guardsmen who are leaving
Washington today for Camp Lee spent
last night at the National Guard
received instruction in some camp
procedure and were given transporta-
ton orders Breakfast was served at
$50 o'clock this morning at the
armory and the men were inspected
by Gen. Stephan before boarding the
train.
The guardsmen are travelling in full
field equipment, carrying their rifles
and all field material, with the ex-
ception that they are not taking with
them this year. as in former years,
the dog tents used during the encamp-
Camp Lee the men will be quartered
in the barracks used at the former
cantonment during the war.
Capt. Harry E. Gladman. commander
of Company C.. and senior officer of
the three companies which are going
INTO Camp, Will Ue III entire charge
of the encampment. Maj. Richard D.
La Garde, adjutant general of the
guard. who is now at Camp Perry,
Ohio, in charge of the District guard
rifle team at the national rife
matches. is expected to arrive at
Camp Lee during the week. He will
not take part in the field instruction
but will be at the camp as the per-
sonal representative of Gen. Stephan.
Capt. e. H. Grove is the acting adju-
tant general.
Regular Army Instructors.
Infantry training, including all the
courses in use. in officers training
program offered for the District
guardsmen during their training
period. They will be under the In
struction of Regular Army officers
stationed at Camp Lee. For this pur-
pose, Gen, Stephan believes that the
guard may be merged with other
state guard units to form a tactical
unit large enough to handle as a
regiment. tJ"~to .--g- r..
While majority Of the members
of the guard are comparatively new
at "soldiering," there are few
world-war veterans scattered through
the outfit. Preparations have been
made for preliminary training under
these men, who have been desig-
mated temporary on-commissioned
officers. during the first few days Of
the training period. By the end OF
the training period 1t is expected the
guard, although composed largely Of
green men, will have become a CO.
hesive, tactical unit, At to form the
basis for the larger guard expected
to be recruited within the next two
years.