The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-08-22
MONTH OF TRAINING
AT CAMP MCCLELLAN

Camp Mcclellan, Ala, Aug. "a
large number of us Florida boys, along
with about 1000 other fellows from
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louis
lana, Tennessee, North Carolina and
South Carolina have gathered here at
Camp Mcclellan for month of active
military training in the citizens mill
tary training camp. We arrived in
camp on July 9th, and were sent
Through the bill" right away. That
is, we were given physical examina-
tion, army clothing and equipment
and assigned to our tents. Some of
US felt slight tinge of homesickness
at first, but soon we were all fixed up
and are enjoying camp the best in the
world now.
Camp Mcclellan has been designat-
ed the training center of the Fourth
Corps Area, which includes the states
of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mis-
rsissippi, Louisiana, South Carolina,
North Carolina and Tennessee. Twen-
ty-five hundred men have voluntarily
gathered here for this month of active
military training, which will close
August 26th.
These citizens military training
camps are held for one month each
summer, and boys and young men
from II to 26 years of age may volun-
teer to attend them. The government
pays the expense of the men to and
from camp, furnishes uniforms and
everything necessary while at camp.
They even pay our laundry bills.
By means of these camps reserve
of trained citizen soldiers is created,
and these men would be of great value
to the government in the event of a
national emergency.
This tent life and drilling went
pretty hard with some of US at first
but we find that we are getting the
swing of real soldiers now. We keep
our shoulders thrown back and walk
as erect as any of them, and after We
got over few blisters and sore spots,
we have been having fine health. We
stay in the open air whole lot, and
are given physical drill daily, which is
| putting a chest on US. The govern
ment cares for us we'll when one of us
does get sick.
Can you imagine us boys making up
our hunks, sweeping the tent flool
peeling "spuds'', and scrubbing the
kitchen floor? That's part of what
we have to do every day. I was put
on K. P. (kitchen police) pretty sool
after camp started and the first thing
the mess sergeant put me to doing
was washing dishes and scrubbing
pots and pans. A detail of eight mer
from each company is put on K. p
each day to wait on tables and care
for the kitchen.
! We are doing guard duty too, just
as they did in the army during th'
war. My company went on guard ont
afternoon at o'clock, after we had {
formal guard mount at 4:30, and W.
stayed on until o'clock the mex
afternoon We sentries had to wall
!. posts for two hours and then we ha'
four hours off. after which we again
walked two hours. etc. 1t interferet
with our sleep little, but fortunatel.
we had only one day of guard duty
| One battalion, consisting of fou
companies, goes on the rifle rang
each week, and the men are givel
, training in craftsmanship. My com
pany was on the range all last week.
E One of the best things about cam
: life here is the entertainment pro
4 vided. Every night a free concert /
J. given at the large open air C. NJ. 7. {
j amphitheatre, and these concerts al
z ways draw large crowds. Some of tn
. best concerts / have ever heard hav
5 been given here. We boys join som
e of the old army songs that won
e allow the "blues" to hover anywher
i in our vinicity and have a great tim
|. of it. We have a small lake, whic
!. makes fine "swimmin hole" to bath