Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-04
District National Guard

a special committee composed OF MAJ.
Dawson, Assistant Engineer Commits
sioner: Municipal Architect Harris ana
Col. John w. Oehmann, building m
spector. who also is COMMANDER OF the
12lst Engineer Regiment OF the local
Guard. This committee was appointed
by the previous Board OF Commissioners
and represents the first concrete enort
on the part Of the District government
authorities to 60 into the whole subject
which the Guard officials have been
pressing for more than quarter OF
century.
Mai. Gen. Anton Stephan, commander
of the local Guard, IL was sald, would
appear on behalf of the organization,
and tell not only of its needs Tor a
permanent structure, specially built TO
meet the needs of modern military
training, but probably will give the MS
tory of the as yet unsuccessful efforts
to bring it about For years the Guard
officials have annually appeared before
Congress with proposed legislation
which would obviate the necessity OF
moving about to rented buildings, all
of which have been most Unsatisfactory
for training purposes.
1t also probably will be pointed out
that several additional units have been
allotted to the local Guard, but that 1t
would be impossible to house them even
If they were organized Immediately.
They are units necessary for the round
ing out of the divisional organization.
The Commissioners have been asked
to include provision for an armory IN q
five-year building program which they
were studying some time ago, ana this
action was taken on the suggestion OF
Senator Smoot Of Utah, chairnman of
the Public Buildings Commission. Here
tofore, legislation proposed by the Guard
has not received favorable consideration
by the District officials. However, 1t is
believed that 1t will be received In better
light at this time, especially in view Of
the fact that Commissioner Reichelderfef
for many years was a member Of the
local Guard, serving as the senior med
ical officer under the regime of Brig
Gen. George H. Harries. The chances
also are believed increased by the fact
that Commissioner Crosby Is O retired
Army officer and will be able to fully
appreciate the necessity Of having q
proper place for the local troops In
which to train.
The matter has increased In i'm
portance by the discussion in Congress
during the past week of beginning work
promptly on the construction of the
proposed new center for the municipal
government. The local Guard has just
moved into the National Hotel, ut Sixth
street and Pennsylvania avenue, one OF
the buildings purchased as part OF
the site for the proposed new center,
and If Congress should decide that work
should start Immediately 1t probably
would mean the early raZing Of this
building, with the result that the Guard
again would have to move. 1t has just
vacated one of the old Government
kas.il hn "a
Plaza which Is to be RACED for the
improvement of the Capitol grounds
extension between the present grounds
and the Union Station.
The Guard officials have put forward
several plans for q building, but they
have not gotten very far. The plan to
acquire the Washington Auditorium,
provided for in the Bowman bill, met
with objection on the part of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission which also has Voluntarily
undertaken to study the matter. This
building, it was said, could have been
altered at comparatively small expense
to make an ideal building for the train
ing of the troops. The plan to turn the
Pension Office Building over to the
Guard, also proposed by the Guard OH
cials, met with opposition from the War
Department. This structure would have
provided an excellent drill hall, one OF
the prime needs of the local Guard,
because of the fact that under present
conditions 1t has to confine most of its
training during the Winter months to
class room instruction. This proposal,
however, met with the united approval
of the veteran organizations, as IL was
pointed out that it could not have been
put to better use as @ memorial to the
armed forces which have served in
previous wars than to have it used for
the training of the youth for field
service in time of a national emergency.
While the medical attachments of
the Guard are said by the Militia Blu
reau to have shown steady improvement
In recruiting, morale and training, 1t
does have some criticism to offer. The
bureau points out that recognition
OF the proper use of the medical regi-
ment in divisional tactics is gradually
becoming more pronounced not only
among medical department officers but
also among line officers. There are still
many instances, 1t is added, where the
sole use of medical units is considered
to be that of camp utility detachments,
collecting sick, conducting camp hos
pitfalls, etc. This the bureau says Is
unfortunate, for though emergency
medical service must necessarily be con-
Quoted by the medical regiment, its
main reason for existence Is to fulfill
its important tactical mission as q part
of a division In combat.