New-York tribune., 1921-06-08
Boys at Plattsburg
Special Care and Training for Youths
of Sixteen and Seventeen

or Olxtcen and Scycntcen
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: In behalf of the Military Train
ing Camps Association of the United
States ask the privilege of your col
umns to reply to the interesting and
sensible comments contained in a let
ter by Sergeant Donald MacRimmon in
your issue Of June 2.
In the absence of specific informa-
tion it might be mistakenly assumed
that lads of sixteen and seventeen
years of age attending the civilian
military training camps this SUNNI er
were to receive the same training and
instruction and find themselves in the
same surroundings as much older men
Such, however, will not be the case.
The Military Training Camps AS
sociation, composed largely of men
who have attended training camps at
Plattsburg in 1915, junior camp at
Plum Island for boys of fourteen to
eighteen in 1916 and war training
camps of 1917 and 1918, has, in CO.
operation with the war plans division
OF the War Department and other Off
GERS Of the regular establishment hav-
ing charge Of the civilian military
training camps, given the most careful
consideration to the problem of the
training of boys Of sixteen and seven
teen.
The Military Training Camps Asso-
citation is officially authorized to state
that the officers of the regular army
in charge of these camps will give spe-
cial attention to the, physical and mill
tary training of boys of sixteen and
seventeen who attend these camps,
Every precaution will be taken to
guard against these younger lads re-
ceiving more physical training or drill
than they can, with an ample margin
of safety, undergo; particular care also
will be given to their moral surround
ings, and thorough medical examina-
tions will be made both before and
2lCer entering these camps.
1t is not expected that considerable
number of older men will attend these
camps; on the contrary, by far the
largest proportion Of students will
probably consist of young men from
sixteen to twenty-five years of age.
The course of military training to
be given in this years camps will not
impose nearly as great physical
strain as. was the case in the business
mems camps at Plattsburg in 1916
1916 and in the war camps of 1917
1913. The time devoted to athletics
physical training, drills and target
practice will not exceed an average of
more than five hours each day with the
exception of Sundays. On Saturdays
there will be no drill or work of any
kind after the monday mess, and
other weekday afternoons will be
devoted principally to athletics and rifle
practice, and such drill as will be given
during those hours will be of light
character.
The former so-called "Plattsburg
hike" which lasted several days and
was a severe test of the strength and
endurance of candidates, will be re-
placed by three short practice marches.
the first of two hours only, after the
students have been partially hardened
by ten days exercise; the next about
ten days later, about three and a half
hours in duration, and the last imme-
uiately before the breakup of the camps
in September, when cache battalion will
make a march of about eight miles
out, camp for the night and march back
the next day. This final march will
give the young men taste of camping
IN pup tents" in the open and teach
them how to cook their own meals un-
der outdoor conditions.
Special care will be used to avoid the
carrying of heavy packs, particularly
by the younger men, and their sports
and drill will at all times be under the
most careful and thorough supervision
ARCHIBALD G. THACHER,
President Military Training Camps
Association of the United States.
formerly Major so6th Infantry
A. f. F.
New York, June 6, 1921.