Evening star., 1923-05-24
Eastern Company, Dark Horse
In Cadet Drill, Wins Standard
Company d, Discounted by Students,
Greeted by Volcano of Cheers as
Medal Is Pinned on Capt. Cheek.

Eastern High Schools Company d,
regarded as dark horse" in the
company competitive drill of the
Washington High School Cadet Corps.
won first honors in the great school
event which ended late yesterday at
the American League base ball park.
Second honors went to Company l. of
Western High School, winner of the
1922 drill. Company ID of Central
High School was awarded third place.
Fifteen thousand persons. the ma
jority of them leather-lunged school
children, turned the ball park into
volcano of noise when the victorious
companies were marched before the
judges TO receive the laurels Sf vic
tory, Synonymous of high school mill
tary supremacy.
General Pins Medal.
Maj. Gen. William Lassiter of the
general staff of the Army, pinned on
the breast of the tunic of Capt. l.. H.
Cheek, commander of the prize COM
pany, the diamond studded Allison
Nailor medal. In the muZzle of the
gun of Company DIS color sergeant
was placed the coveted prize flag.
which two years ago was carried off
the drill field by Eastern's Company
q. under Capt. W. r. Miller.
The victorious company drilled in
the afternoon of the opening day of
the high school military classic. and
it's maneuverS were witnessed by but
4 comparatively few students. who
were at the ball park at the time. AL
though rating the Company's exhibit
tion as of superior merit. the unotfi-
Cial military critics on the side lines
had not seriously figured the Eastern
unit as d winner, and the decision of
the three Army Judges came as IA
complete surprise to them, as we'll as
who were jammed in the grandstand
opposite first ba%c.
Averages Lower.
Company d was given a rating of
S6.13 per cent by the judges. West
erns Company l. was rated 1898 per
cent and ID Company of Central S3.6
per cent. The averages this year
were slightly lower than last. due to
new system of rating.
1T was about $50 o'clock in the aft
ernoon when Brigade Adjt. J. T.
Harding was instructed to order
CAPT. Cheek to bring his company be-
fore the improvised reviewing stand.
at which stood Gen. LaSsiter, the off,
cial reviewing officer; District Com
missioner Oyster, Superintendent of
Schools Ballou and Assistant Super
intendent Kramer. 1t was a psyche
logical moment as the immense
crowd fixed its eyes upon the adju-
tant as he marched in the direction
of the Sd Regiment, stationed at the
west end of the ball park.
Western Disappointed.
A bedlam of cheers and screams
broke out in the section occupied by
the Western High School students, who
unfortunately believed that the victory
on the drill field had been won by one
of, its cadet companies. The cheering
stopped almost automatically as Adjt.
Harding passed the Western units and
came to a halt in front of Eastern's
Company D. 1t was a signal for pan
demonium in the Eastern section,
which continued almost necessarily un-
til the prize company had marched off
the drill field.
After Gen. Lassiter had presented
the bejeweled medal to Capt. Cheek
and red ribbons to the men under him.
Capt. Herbert Clark of l. Company of