Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-06-28
103rd And 1O2nd Infantry
With Brigade Officers Com
plete Weeks Course Of In
tensive Tactical And Special
list Training Under U. $.
Army Instructors

with the closing. Friday evening.
Of the weeks course Of instruction.
what was without doubt the most
| successful school for officers and men
ever held for the National Guard in
this State came to an end. During
| the. week q number Of regular army
| instructors, all experts in their line.
have been present to conduct these
classes and instruction that will
prove Of great value to the men was
given.
The school this year was conduct
ed on broader lines than has been the
custom before. This year 1t In
cluded not Just the members OF the
Maine National Guard. which ID maze
up largely Of the 103rd Infantry. but
the officers and non commissioned
officers OF the 172nd Infantry OF YER
mont were also present. These two
| regiments form what is known as
the 8sth Brigade, commanded by
| Grigadier General Albert Greenlaw
! of PASSPORT, and this school afforded
| the officers of the two states fine
| opportunity to become acquainted
with each other. This acquaintance
will no doubt materially assist in the
work of the brigade this year at Fort
Ethan Allen, by causing better CO.
operation upon the part OF the oft-
| GERS of the two state units composing
| the brigade.
The camp opened on Monday with
| the arrival of many of the Maine
| troops, consisting of the various Of
| ficers and non-coms designated by
| the special orders to receive this
| technical training The Maine boys
were we'll settled and had had mess
some little time before the Vermont
men arrived in this city. They were
met by several army trucks and
transported to the camp. where their
tents were already erected and they
were soon comfortably settled. AS
their cooks and mess sergeants had
arrived the day before and had ev-
erything in readiness for the first
! evenings mess they were fed snorty
after their arrival.
1 On Tuesday morning the actual
| instruction began. Electricians were
grouped together for purposes OF in
| struction, first sergeants and COM
| pany clerks formed another group.
| the automatic riflemen formed still
| another, buglers made up a group
by themselves. supply sergeants had
| their own class and mess sergeants
and cooks were given a course In the
kitchen.
Regular Army Instructors
Each class was taken in hand by
| one of the regular army instructors
and their duties were outlined and
! technical instruction along the vari-
Gus lines was taken up. With but
| few exceptions classes were held In
the morning and again in the after
noon and the instruction was not
| confined to lectures on the theory OF
the thing. but practical application
| OF the principals involved was stress
ed.
| For instance, in the class for first
sergeants and company clerks, they
| were told of the proper method to be
used In their paper work and then
| the whole class was given the necess-
airy forms and problems were given
| them to work out and report cor
rectly upon these forms. In the
kitchens the cooks learned by actual
! experience under competent in
structors OF the way in which to
prepare mess and to keep within the
government allowance while doing
SO. The signal boys were out lay
ing field telephone lines and operat-
ing field telephone sets and switch
boards. To show the real practical
value Of the course and the way In
which the men were taught, one OF
the officers conducting the course
took two rocks when none of the
men were looking and mashed the
wire in such a way that the contact
was broken but the insulation out