Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1922-07-22
ENJOY LIFE in
TRAINING CAMP
Student Soldiers Delighted
With Uncle Sans Mill
tary Education Chance
DELAWARE BOYS
GET BENEFITS

/
an interesting letter from Captain B.
B. Blair. Coast Artillery Corps. and
instructor Of the New Hampshire Ma
tional Guards. Captain Blair was
formerly on duty at Fort Dupont.
Major Williams also received reports
from Lieutenant Ralph p. Segar.
Coast Artillery, Officers Reserve
Corps who is stationed at Fort Han
cock, n. J. Lieutenant segar is a
resident OF this city.
Both reports are OF interest to
parents and friends OF young men
who have gone TO the various camps
from Delaware this year.
Captain Blair. in his letter. en-
closed a clipping from the Concord
New Hsmpshire) Evening Monitor.
which tells OF camp life. II Is print
ed below:
d. J. Byrne, New Hampshire State
College. '23, is an enthusiast over
the c. NJ. T. c plan and in the
current issue OF The New Hamp-
shire. the college newspaper re-
calls his days at Pittsburgh in such
a refreshing manner as to make his
item a great booster for the Camp
Devens c M T. c. encampment next
month which Is 20 be run along the
same lines. Mr.. Byrne's account
follows:
"You'll ike t." Is the phrase that
strikes the ears Of the prospective
when he staggers into the barracks
F-ruN, Ii -.
and loaded with his uniform and
equipment. lie throws them down
on his bunk disgustedly and wishes
fervently that he had never come
to the camp. He rebels at the use
lessness Of the red tape. the jeers
Of his fellow victims, the exact POSI-
tions in which he Is required 20
place his clothes and the hard-bOlled
attitude OF the non-coms in charge
Of the barracks In fact, everything
seems to CRATE on his. nerves and it
wouldn't take much TO make him
throw up everything and go home.
This Is the feeling the student
soldier has on his first day at camp
but a good nights rest changes his
outlook and after a hearty breakfast
he Is ready TO tackle almost anything
Rising at fve-thirty in the morning
Is more or less contrary 10 his habits
at college and so he is taken out on
the parade ground and put through
an hour OF phsyical drill. After this
he Is ready 10 put in day Of real
work.
Everything Is run according to-
schedule and every days work Is out
lined for the six weeks. This sched-
ule Is posted in the barracks for
ready reference by the student. Also
the students are the officers at vari-
Gus times and every man has his
chance as the roster changes every
three days. one day he may be
captain OF the company and the next
day only a private.
The work is taken up in the order
OF It's importance. Last year. al
Plattsburgh. the order was first. the
trench motar. then the 81 nm gun
followed by automatic rifles and ma
chine guns. Most Of the time was
spent on the rife range and II the /
student does not know how TO shoot |
after he leaves such a course he will /
never know how. In conjunction
with the rife range work was pistol
Workmanship practice. NJ
were offered in both courses.
In the field, a thorough training in |
field engineering was given and a lot .
OF time spent in working out prob
lens in minor tactics. Every Satur-
day there was an inspection during
which the entire outfit OF the stu
fent was examined. Ceremonies in
GLIDING battalion parades and re-
views and formal guard mount oc-
,upied prominent part in the
work.
The one course that every student
ooked forward 10 during the whole
amp was the manoevers. These
anne at the very end and lasted
our days. The whole regiment
liked TO a camp about FIVE miles
tut and lived in shelter tents for
,erlod Of manoevers. Practical work
n marching. extended order, exter-
or and interior guard, was gone
nto: and when the regiment re-
urned TO camp all were very tired
,ut happy and convinced that war
s not what it is cracked up to be.
what about the food ?" many
,eople ask. The food at Plattsburg
asst summer was all that could be
Iesired. While there l never heard
ne complaint and that is going some
yhen one considers that there were
thousand ever-hungry men to be
SO far. 1 have said nothing about
he social side Of camp life. In
he first place. the students had lots {
4 free time which included every
vening. wednesday afternoon
very weekend. from Saturday noon
ntil Monday morning at five-thirty' {
here Is a very well equipped library s,
-hieh also contains pool tables,
rriting room, and musical instru-
nents. There was baseball league
ormed with a team from each COM
any. the equipment being furnish
a bv the government. A track meet
-as held, each company entering
sam and the winner awarded a cup.
ennis courts and swimming pool
ere available. the latter having a
ystem OF instructors that elimin-
ted all danger OF drowning acci-
ents. Every weekend trips were
onducted to nearby interesting =
oints which cost the student very Z
title. n
The summer camps are in charge :
competent men who are masters 7
their chosen line OF work. Much :,
the monotony and tediousness Of Y