Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-07-30
Launch Drive
For New Nj. N.G.
200 Veteran Michigan Officers
Hold Meet at Grayling Camp.

Grayling, July 26.-Two hundred former
officers who served in the world war,
representing every branch of the SER
vice, spent Saturday and Sunday at the
state military reserve.
Colonel Bersey and Major Leroy
Pearson, quartermaster general OF the
Michigan National Guard, met the
Officers at the entrance to the camp
grounds and extended to them the hos
pitality of the state Automobiles then
took the soldiers to the new mess hall,
recently completed, which was officially
opened by the officers and Governor
Sleeper. The party then sat down to
an army breakfast of bacon and eggs,
fried 'spuds" and bread, butter, and
coffee.
The visiting officers were invited to
make the club house their home during
their stay. Cots were placed in tents
alongside the club house for sleeping
quarters.
The officers were called together for
the purpose OF getting them interested
in the organization OF the Michigan
National Guard, now being formed
throughout the state under the new
reorganization act. 1t is proposed as
far as possible 10 get the old officers
who served under ire in the great war
to actively identify themselves in the
new National Guard units being formed
In their home cities or vicinity.
Old numbers and names OF organiz-
ations will be retained as far as practi-
cable. The two regiments OF infantry
allowed Michigan Will be known as the
l25th infantry and l26th infantry,
Michigan National Guard. The records
and flags will be kept intact with the
new regiments as far as possible.
There are $50 old officers in the Michi-
gan National Guard Reserve corps, and
most OF these will be assigned to active
duty as soon as units in their respective
cities and towns have been organized.
At present, three companies of in
fantry have been accepted in the new
state militia, and there are eight COM
panies Of infantry and two troops OF
cavalry ready TO be mustered into SER
vice as soon as the war department is
ready to accept them. One of the com.
panies already accepted is located in
Detroit, one in Big Rapids and one in
Grand Haven.
A detachment of thirty men, under
command of Lieutenant Erkes OF the
Grand Haven company, is on duty al
the reservation, looking after the
visiting officers.
There does not seem to be any possi-
bility that the hospitsl at the camp here
will be used for the care OF Michigan
tubercular exsoldiers, who have no
place to receive medical care. Cover
nor Sleeper had surgeons examine the
hospital and conditions here this week,
and they decided that the camp is too
far from Grayling and consequently
patients would become lonesome, and
further that this climate is too severe
for patients of this class in the winter.
Among the prominent officers here
are Brigadier General Lot Covell,
former commander OF the Michigan
National Guard, who will command the
Michigan brigade as soon as it is orga-
nized; Colonel Chester MacCormick,
who commanded the 10th Field artil.
lery during the war; Colonel A. C.
Pack; Major Schouten; Major John W.
Smith, former adjutant general of the
Michigan brigade, and many others ol
the old-time officers who were in the
guard when it camped on this site for
the first tim9.
81 cannot forget the many boys who
were modified here in 1917, and whose
bodies lie beneath the flowers ol
France" said Colonel MacCormick
These hills resound with their cheer.
when they reached camp and they were
really the flower OF Michigan youth
As look around here, | cannot hell
picturing the last place saw many O
these boys who fell facing the Germans.