Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-02-17

little complete cog in an irresistible
force
1t takes three years Of constant
drilling, studying, hiking, target
practice and sham battles to make
each one of these units efficient and
when one considers that the raw
material is taken from the most per-
feet physical and mental specimens
of manhood in the nation it can read
lily be seen that the making of an
army is a thing of science and hard
work.
A soldier works from early morn
ing to late at night. During certain
periods he works at night also. He
starts in by learning how to stand
correctly and every day he learns
something now until, a thoroughly
trained soldier in our army can do
almost anything imaginable.
Soldiers are housed fed, clothed,
exercised, trained, equipped, given
recreation, rest, medical attention,
disciplined, paraded, punished and re
warded all on the finest system in
the world and on the working of that
system hangs the ultimate strength
or weakness of this nation.
The people of Douglas like good
music, they have listened with de-
light to General Jacksons quartet"
That quartet can sing anything and
sing it with more expression than
could be heard elsewhere. The men
in that quartet sing to cheer up the
other soldiers, they practice their
songs after they have marched ali
day. cleaned their equipment and
stood a couple of inspections. They
are fighting men with real love
and appreciation of music.
Over in the Tenth street park the
public has stood silent and intent to
hear a band play dance music, clas,
sizes or the patriotic hymns That
band is just a section of the regi-
mental band of this regiment and
great musicians will tell you that
the Twenty Fifth Infantry band
ranks very high among the really
fine musical talent of the. country.
Some weeks ago the regiment pre-
sented play They staged it at
the Grand theatre, just out of defer
ence to the public and not half the
ed talent that cannot be duplicated
by any opera company in the United
States and the little show that they
put on would draw capacity houses on
Broadway. Those men worked out
the details of that theatrical produc
ton between drill periods and bayo-
net practice.
They are a talented bunch of sharp
shooters. Look them over. Go out
to Camp Jones. Every officer and
every soldier in the camp will well
come you. You can see the entire
camp and have everything explained
to you. You can see the barracks
where the men live and have display
ed before your eyes that collection of
articles called a full pack and
which contains everything that a SOL
dier has in the world when he goes
out to fight.
| Watch these men drill. Think how
| many weary, hot days at work were
necessary to make it possible for
straight line of a hundred men to
step all at once without one flicker
out of line. Go up to a soldier who
/ has a bunch of silver and ribbons
and little plates across his righs
! chest and ask him what each one of
! them stands for and why he has
them. The life history of each one
of these men whose chest is decor
lated with these things would make
material for real gun fighting
novel.
/ There are lot OF things in an
army camp that the public don't
know anything about. The army be-
longs to you, to this nation 1t isl
the duty as well as the privilege of
the citizen to look the camp over.
There are surprises and thrills in it.
Every evening, just as the sun goes
down the United States army, sta
toned in this country, Alaska, China,
the South Sea islands, France, Ger
many, ussia, Panama and Cuba or
anywhere, stands Retreat"
This Retreat is a ceremony. 1t is
ceremony like that of the tabled
Phoenix that renewed itself in it's
own ashes. This army never retreats
in battle because it would be unethl-
cal and un-American but every eve
ming it stands retreats in front OF
it's barracks on the parade. In gar
rison a cannon is fired and every
where the flag is lowered for the
night and the band booms forth with
the Star Spangled Banner.
The commanding officer at Camp
Harry J. Jones, his staff and his en-
tire command invite the public to see
the camp, to study the system that
makes the soldier proud of his uni
form and the army a glorious thing.
The writer asks that the people of
Douglas get acquainted with their
army and for the good of your souls
"stand Retreat" few evenings and
renew your patriotism and that un-
failing faith that this nation has
fighting force that is invincible and
that is thing to be proud Of in
peace as we'll as in war.
"Oh, it's Tommy this and Tommy
that
And chuck him out; the brute.
But, it's Savior of his country"
When the guns begin to shoot
a