The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-07-20
Neale w. Hooker Elected
Captain of Barre
Company
PAUL D. LEAVITT
1ST LIEUTENANT
Complete List of Non-com-
missioned Officers
Appointed

The Barre company of the lst Yer
mont infantry, National Guard, was
formally organized at the Legion club
house last evening when an enthusias
tic meeting of enlisted men elected
Neale w. Hooker as captain and Paul
ID. Leavitt as lst lieutenant, after
which these two officers appointed a
complete list of non commissioned Off
GERS. The position of End lieutenant
was left open, to be given to the man
who shows the best aptitude for the
appointment. All that remains to make
the company an integral part of the V.
n G. is recognition by the military de-
partment and the swearing in of the
men.
Barre contributes as its share OF the
state militia a machine gun company,
with an enlisted strength well above
the minimum requirement of 65 men.
The forming of this company has been
in large part due to the energy OF the
new commanding officer and to the
Barre Board OF Trade, through the lat
ter's committee consisting of William
Barclay, S. Hollister Jackson and II. s.
Parks. The Board of Trade has fur
nished clerical service and now has the
matter of securing a contract for a
drill hall on its hands. II is expected
that in due time a state armory will
be constructed in Barre under state ap.
preparation, with some local contribu-
ton.
Drills will be held regularly The
equipment of a machine gun company
is somewhat different from infantry
equipment Uniforms, Of course. are
similar, but instead of having rifles the
men are supplied with pistols and four
machine guns of the new Browning
type. The company isaalso supposed to
be provided with mules and gun carts. |
but this part OF the equipment may be |
supplanted by motorized apparatus
The non-commissioned officers are all |
ex service men and are as follows: lst |
sergeant, Walter G. knutson; ser.
geants, Cecil bowers, John Murray,
Maurice Smith, Herbert McRea; cor
porsls, Lee Maiden, George Thayer,
Ralph Lawliss, Allan Johnston, Will
liam Ducharme, Evan Parry. Carl |
Johnson, Christian Bjorn, John Donald
and James Booth.
Captain Hooker has been connected
with the Vermont National Guard since
1915 when he enlisted in the Vermont
'avalry. He was in the headquarters
at Fort Ethan Allen in 1916
when the regiment went to the Mexi-
an border. the headquarters company,
he supply company and the machine
un company having been left behind.
When the war with Germany broke
ut in April. 1917, he was battalion
ergeant major in the National Guard
nd entered the officers training camp
{ Plattsburg. being commissioned pro- =
isional second Lieutenant in the reg ..
Jar army in November, 1917 He was
rdered overseas with the l02d infan-
ry. 26 division, in January, 1918, and J
erved there until the return of the di.
ision in April, 1919.
Captain Hooker went through the c
attic of Seichprey and the major en-
agements of Chateau. Thierrv, ST. 7
lihiel and the Meuse Arg0nne often I
We During the last named engage
tent he was slightly wounded bv ma
line gun bullets. After the battle of Q
t. Mihiel he was promoted 10 lst lieu
nant and ~ such he returned TO the 6
nited States, being mustered out on
pril %, 1919. at Camp Devens 8
First Lieutenant Leavitt is an over y
as man who went across with the I
tn Pioneer infantry. which was made :
, in part Of the old First Vermont u
hen that organization was split up. {,
e enlisted with the newly formed Co. q
in Barre during the summer of 1917
I'd. after being AT Fort Ethan Allen,
ent south with the remainder Of the
srmont regiment, where the 57th b
nnper infantry rnrnaincd nnr,n Tina