Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-26

With the return to Washington to-
day of the troops of the National Guard
I OF the District of Columbia. who have
been taking their annual period OF
! field training for the past two weeks
at Camp Albert c. Richie. at Cascade,
i Md, there will have been completed
! the field service for all the troops. The
| 260th Battalion of Coast Artillery fin
/ ished its service Just prior to the de-
parture Of the other troops.
All of the units Immediately will
start on the work which viii carry
/ them through the armory year, until
| the next annual encampment. There
is some discussion OF making an effort
next year to have simultaneous field
/ training camp of the entire 29th Divi-
sion, which is composed OF the Militia
of this city and the States of Mary
land and Virginia. Although the 2Sth
Division was one Of the first to begin
functioning as a National Guard OUTFIT
subsequent TO the war, there never has
been a division assembly OF troops The
division staff has assembled each year
for the preparation and solution OF war
problems involving the rIse of this divi-
sion. but many of the officers are hop
ing that all OF the troops may be called
together on one field in the near future.
Just where such an encampment
would be held in the division area is
not known, but it was suggested that
the place might be Camp Meade,
Md. Camp Trinkle, the State rife
camp of the Virginia National Guard,
Is supposed to be the divisional mobili-
cation point for the 2eth. but 1t is
doubtful If the land available there
would be large enough for the settle
ment OF a division. which would rather
indicate that 1t would have 10 go TO
some well established Army post.
The Cascade camp could not be used
/ for the mobilization of a division, but
/ the troops who spent the past two
weeks there are for the mo- part en-
| thustasric about the mountain area,
! except that they found it difficult to
| cope with the mountain rock In dig
| ging trenches. II it came to a popular
desire Of the Engineer regiment, 1t Is
! safe TO say that the majority would vote
] 10 return To Cascade, provided, OF
| course, that the divisional mobilization
/ does not take place.
| In addition to the very large space
! which would be required for the en-
| campment OF division. vastly larger
/ area would be required In which the
| troops could maneuVer and carry OUT
! their war problems without damage 10
! private property. This Is another and
important argument for the mobiilZa-
/ ton at Camp Meade, or rather Fort
/ Leonard Wood, as 1t now Is otficlally
known.
While the question OF having a di-
! Yisional mobilization will be threshed
/ out BY the division officers ans tins
j War Department during the year, the
/ units composing it will carry on, and
will pay little attention TO the matter
+ OF an encampment until 1t Is deter
/ mined one way or another.
/ While the encampment furnishes
/ some problem during part Of the year
/ nevertheless the most serious question
/ that faces the District OF Columbia
/ troops is the matter Of suitable ar
/ mory In which they can carry out thf
/ training during the greater part Of the
! year Efforts Will be made TO bring To
i life the measures pending before the
/ House and Senate Distdict committees
| which would provide for turning over
/ 10 the local Guard the Pension Build
/ ing at Fifth and q streets for use as an
armory as soon as the General Ac-
counting Office moves into the new
/ building being planned for II IN Inc
! triangle south Of Pennsylvania avenue
The officials have about given ny
! hope Of ever reaching the goal OF 30
j scar effort 10 have special building
erected for the Use Of the local troops
They DO not even get any support from
/ tn War Department in the Objection
81 having it urge Congress 10 pass the
/ bill for use ~ the Pension Building. II
IL known that the War Department
/ already has designs on the building
aud has announced It's disposition frsi
! 80 look out for itself before providing
/ quarters for the District of Columbia
National Guard although IL Is COgnl-
zant II the fact that number ot units
/ allotted ~ the District 0f Columbia mil
/ itary organization cannot be formed be
! cauge Of insufficient and inadequate
| aimoTy facilities for the protection oi
/ 0o-frument property.
The organization Will use the streets
! surrounding the arnlory as much AZ
possible for their drills until the Win
/ Ter when they viii be forced 10 contine
| their training almost entirely TO class
room instruction Even this would bf
| under most unsatisfactory conditions
/ because the company rooms are 50
. small that only q small group can be
taken into each They were formerly
!, individual rooms in the Government
hotels
However, the organization will carry
on the best that II can and will con
. BifUF VI U-btrEtt 4fBtE1F13 iIF hi1t ~
! tie hope that some day 81 aTmory VIII
/ be provided for.
Thr rife team which viii represent
! the National Guard Of this city at The
national matches which begin this week
~ Camp Perry. Ohio. Is said ~ be one
~ the best that have ever been trained
by the rife experts Of The local oTgani'
zation. The team ts due tn report al
4H%