Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-21

4
named as captain of the team, and
with him to represent the 121st Regi-
ment of Engineers will be First Lieut..
Thaddeus A. Riley. Company l.; First
| Lieut. Edward A. Mcmahon, Head
| quarters and Service Company; First
Lieut. Hugh Everett, Company a;
First Lieut.. Henry c. Espey. Company
L: First Sergt. Hugh +. Riley. Com
pany l.: Staff Sergt. Baxter Smith.
Company A: Sergt. George NJ. Notava,
| Company T.; Sergt. William r. Lane.
Company +, and Corpl. George b.
| Campbell. Company G.
! Capt. Fletcher +. Bernsdorff will
| represent the Quartermaster Depart
ment as range officer; Capt. Justice G..
Jensen and Staff Sergt. Alexander j.
Thill will represent the Ordnance De
partment. the former as team coach,
while Battery \. 260th Coast Artillery.
will be represented by COrpl. Lewis
| Hayes and Corpl. Prescott j. Blount.
The men will report back from
| Washington with their organizations
| on Sunday. and after being detached
| from their organizations will be sent
Immediately to Camp Perry. Ohio, and
will not be returned to the inactive
| list until they return from that duty.
| The lack of suitable place in which
the Guard may hold its social func.
| tons, because of the inability to obtain
| from Congress sufficient funds with
| which to provide a suitable armory
| for the District troops, has developed
discussion of a plan on the part of the
| Engineer Regiment to construct on
| the rifle range at Camp Simms large
building which can be used as a social
hall.
Practically all of the ranking off.
GERS of the regiment who have been
| approached on the project are enthu-
slastic about it, and it is likely. it was
said by some of the officers, that con-
| crete efforts will be taken as soon as
the regiment returns to Washington
| to start the ball rolling.
The belief was expressed that there
| are enough public-spirited citizens in
Washington who, if appraised of the
plight of the District Guard in this re-
, spect, would be glad to subscribe to
a fund with which to construct the
proposed building. The land is owned
| and used by the District Guard as a
| rifle range, and there would be no cost
| for a site.
| 1t is pointed out that it is not de.
sired to have an ornamental building,
but simply frame building in which
various social events can be held dur
| ing the year and to which the friends
| of members of the Guard can be in
| vited. There is no room in the pres
ent armory. one of the Government
| hotels on the Union Station plaza, in
which such events can be held. and
it has been difficult for the officers to
Keep up the morale of the organiza-
ton with nothing but military school
duty to give them during the year.
Those familiar with the needs of
National Guard organizations point
out that it is one of the necessities of
such organizations to give dances and
entertainments to relieve the monot.
| ony OF the year, and also for the pur-
pose of giving the men the opportu.
nifty to have their families with them
at various times during the year so
that they may be shown what a Ma
tional Guard organization does. The
District Guard officers and men have
felt the situation keenly, and realize
more than ever before how badly such
| a place is needed.
There is hope that Congress at the
| coming session will see fit to make
provision for an armory in which the
| local troops can be properly trained
during the armory year. Their quar-
| tiers now consist of small, former hotel
| rooms an which company cannot
even be assembled, to say nothing of
| being drilled. During the Indictment
weather of the Winter they get prac-
tlcally no instruction as an organize.
ton, but must confine their efforts to
| receiving theoretical instruction in
small classroomS. And these, it was
pointed out, are even too unhealthy
when it is necessary to group SO many
men in a small space.
However, it is realized that even IL
| congress should make provision for
the armory at the coming session. Il.
| will be several years before it is ready
for occupancy. and during the interim
1t is desired to provide the building
Tor social activities at the rifle range.
Furthermore. it is very likely that
the Guard will have to have new quar-
tiers of some kind before very long.
because of the plans to clear off the
plaza in preparation for extending the
Capitol grounds to the Union Station.
The difficulties of obtaining a suitable
Guiding are well known to Guard off.
Gals, who tried for months to obtain
structure at the lowest rental before
they were finally allotted space in the
Government hotel buildings.
the Attorney General has ruled that
the local Guard is such a Federal ac.
tivity as to put them under the pro.
tecting wing Of the Public Buildings
Commission, which is required to find
space for it. as it does other govern.
mental activities. But the directing
officers of the Guard are particularly
anxious to get a permanent home,
built especially to meet their needs,
| and thus end 20 years of efforts before
Congress with this end in view.