Evening star., 1927-05-15

While Battery c, 1G0th Coast .Artil.
1ery, the newest unit of the National
Guard of the District of Columbia
promptly jumped to the top place in
the attendance list, nevertheless 1t
appears to be already afflicted with
the non attendance disease which has
permeated all the companies and has
kept three Of them consistently below
the required strength.
Battery G. was at the top of the list
of organizations in the percentage of
attendance last week, but the best it
could muster was S0.4 per cent. The
headquarters detachment. goth DlNi-
sion, also one of the newer units OF
the Guard. mustered 100 per cent for
a. long time after its organization ana
1t but recently dropped down consld
erably.
The warm weather now is here, 1t
was pointed out. and it is difficult 10
J conduct class work satisfactorily IN
the very small rooms, crowded with
uniformed humanity. There arc prac'
ticaliv no recreation facilities avail
able to attract the men 10 the armorN.
and it was indicated that II proper
armory facilities We're provided for
such diversions, many of the men
would come to the armory not only on
drill nights hut on other nights of
the week, and would show Keen IN
terest in their work.
Plans now are being laid TO make
another strong effort at the coming
session of Congress to convince the
members that the local Guard should
have model facilities for training, after
which the States could copy,
AS the work of clearing up the
plaza between the Union Station and
the Capitol has started. there is fear
now tht the coming Congress might
order the Government Hotel buildings
torn down. When this is done the
Guard will be without home. al.
though the opinion of the Attorney
General has made the local Guard a
ward of the Federal Government and
as such it is the duty Of the Public
Buildings Commission to find it
home.
Another effort will he made Ia have
Congress authorize the use of the
first floor of the Pension Office Build
ing for the Guard. The great hall on
the first floor. it was said. would fur
nish an excellent drill hall for the
regiment of Engineers. which now has
to use the public street in good
weather for drills. During the Win
ter months the organization is re.
stricted practically to classroom work
The standing of the organizations
IN their relative order, with percent.
ages, for last week S drill attendance
follows:
Headquarters and Service COMPANY,
list Engineers, 74.49, Company c.
! 121st Engineers, 1900: Headquarters
Detachment. Special Troops, 18th Di-
vision, $500; Battery A, 260th Coast
! Artillery, $3.50; Company +. 12lst I'm.
gineers. 66.67; Battery 3, 260th Coast
Artillery, $685. Band. 121st Engi-
neers. $3.50; Company A. 372d Infan-
try, 1914; Company a. 121st Engi-
neers, 1884; Headquarters Detach-
ment, 29th Division, 55.56 Company
+. 12lst Engineers, 54.S4; Coml<ny ID.
121st Engineers, 50s3: Company r,
121st E gineers. 47.55: Medical De
tachment, 121st Engineers, $500, and
29th Military Police Company, 34.00.
The Medical Detachment, 10Th Mill
tary Police Company and Compan. F,
121st Engineers, are below the mainte-
nance strength required by the Militia
Bureau of the War Department. The
first-named organiZat ton has been con
siStently below strength since the last
annual encampment. but so far as
was disclosed at Brigade Headquarters
no successful efforts have been made
to bring the organiza ton up to
strength or to muster It out, which
the War Department may do at any
time it sees fit.
The Guard rife team. which went
to Anna polls for q competition on the
range there with the midshipmen of
the United States Naval Academy. and
which will represent the organization
in other matches. including the ma
tional matches to he held later in the
year, has been formed as follows
Capt. Just c. Jensen. Ordnance De
partment, team captain: Capt. Clar-
ence S. Shields, Company E, 121st En-
gineers, team coach: Capt. Fletcher
F. Bernsdorff, Quartermaster Corps;
First Lieut.. Edward A. Mcmahon,
Headquarters and Service Company,
121st Engineers: First Lieut.. Thaddeus
A. Riley, Company L, 121st Engi-
neers: Second Lieut.. Joseph w. Crock
ett, Battery A. 260th Coast Artillery:
First Sergt. John A. Schricker, Com
pany c, 121st Engineers; Staff Sergt.
Baxter Smith, Company f. 121st En-
gineers; Sergt. Henry c. Espey. Com
pany E, 1o1st Engineers: Sergt. Hugh
z. Riley, Company f, 1o1st Engineers;
Sergt. Walter w. Stokes, Medical De
tachment, 121st Engineers; Sergt.
George Notava, Company T.. 12fst En-
gineers: Corpl, Lewis Hayes. Battery
A, 260th Coast Artillery: Pvt. first
class) George B. Campbell. Company
c, 121st Engineers, and Pvt. j. Pres
colt Blount, Battery A, 260th Coast
Artillery.
Rex P. Mulligan and Charles NJ.
Cook have been commissioned second
lieutenants of Coast Artillery and as
signed to duty with the new Battery
G. 26oth Coast Artillery. Orders
have been issued directing their hon
orable discharge from their enlist.
n1ents and the grade of sergeant in
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