St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1922-08-19
(By Chaplain Placide T. L. Dobyins)
Camp Mcclellan, Ala, Aug. Is.

I y
Camp Mcclellan, Ala, Aug. Is.
The folks back home may like te
learn just what kind of life theil
sons are leading in this camp AMI
what Uncle Sam is doing to mold hi:
citizens into efficient fighting me1
for the national defense. AS your
scribe gathers writing material and
looks for comfortable set and tries
to shut out of his ears the chatter
of comrades, the boys OF Batteries
A, B, G and D have gotten. to the
artillery range, have spotted the
enemy some two miles away and
opened fire with thes75's.
The thunder Of guns in action
makes him finch asbit; as=the pro.
jectile Wheezes along its course he
must pause to count by seconds ths
time between decoration and the puff
of the exploding shrapnel on the dis
tant mountai inside.
But here is what your correspond,
ent wants to say, because he believe;
it's what your readers are interested
to learn.
All goes nifty in the 4th Corps
Area in general and at our camp il
particular where the training of 25oi
young men, gathered from eight
states, is in full swing.
The 4th Corps Area comprises th>
87th, 82nd and 81st Divisions, Mis-
sissippi, Alabama and Louisiana fur.
nish men for the 87th. The PelicaL
State has it's quota in camp and Gov.
ington is on the map and on the job
as witness this roster: E. G. Davis
Clifford King, Thos.. J. Frederick
Chas. McLain, Geo. Fendlason anc
c. Federico. These boys, along witt
their comrades, arrived in camp OIL
July 27th, and they will tell you thai
they were sent through the mil
without loss of time. They were
given physical examiaation. put~iL
uniform, handed equipment and as
signed to tents in their company
streets
Some of them may have had a
tinge of homesickness when they
were ordered into the firing line
where they each had to confront the
doctor holding formidable gun
Charged with &C. This ordeal over,
they soon. felt at ease sand all are
enjoying a life Of varied experiences.
If drilling goes hard with some at
first this open life is surely making
for robust constitutions and bringing
the ruddy glow of health into their
paHid cheeks.
Imagine your boy donnIng the blue
overalls and doing K. P. about the
kitchen. You want to see him?
Well, he's over the way in the mess
hall Of Co. A, S7th. He has made
up his bunk while Sbuddie swept
the tent hoor. He has just finished
scrubbing the kitchen floor and the
mess tables, but now he is at ease
peeling "spuds." After dinner he'll
wash edishes and then scrub pots and
pans. A detail Of eight men from
each company Is put on K. 2. each
day to care for the kitchen and wait
on theirsbuddies at table. The bo--79
here do guard duty just as they did
in the army during the war A com
zpany goes onzaduty at five in the
afternoon after they have had guard
mount at 4:3Q, and they stay on un-
til 5 p. m. the following day. The
sentries walk their posts for. twQ
hours and then rest when they again
walk for two hours. The boys are
careful to remind the corporal Of the
guard when the two hours are UP.
This work may interfere a little with
sleep but they have only one day Of
guard duty.
One battalion each week goes on
the rifle range and the men are given
training in craftsmanship. Our Cow
ington boys are there now and re-
port on their scores will have 60
await second letter.
One great feature of the life here
is the entertainment provided. Each
night free concert is given at the
open air C. M. T. C. Amphiteatre.
Some Of the best concerts the boys
ever heard are given here. The boys
join in the old army songs that de;
the "blues'' and when an army Of
2500 young men thrum their vocal
chords, why, the whole welkin rings
There is also small lake, with
cool, pellHcid waters, which makes