Evening star., 1934-08-10
GUARDSMEN GIVEN
.BAYONET PRACTICE
Engineers Go to Rifle Range
at Camp RitChie--FIagS
Awarded.
by w. s. TARVER.
star Correspondent Of The Star.

CAMP ALBERT c. RITCHIE, Cas-
cade. Md. August lo.-The camp
awoke this morning TO find itself
swathed in a blanket OF clouds which
lay over this mountain valley in an
impenetrable haze. obScuring even the
lower slopes Of the surrounding ridges.
As bugles stirred the District
Guardsmen TO the activity Of military
routine dim ray first pierced the mist
and the white vapor began slowly roll
ing upward as II poured from the cup
like depression in which the camp is
built.
BY the time the soldiers had finished
breakfast and were ready 70 go about
the days work. only the mountain tops
were sheathed in white.
The unusual phenomenon left the
camp soaking wet with water trickling
down tent walls and even clothes in
side cold and damp, but warm sun
soon dispelled the discomfort.
Get BayOnet Practice.
The troops received this morning
their first instruction and practice In
bayonee work officers cut and Slashed
at dummy figures in demonstration,
and then the men began thrusting and
jabbing In simulated fury.
Later In the day the I'd Battalion of
the l2lst Engineers was to go on the
rifle range for practice and record
shooting. Those members Of the bat
TALON who had qualified as marksmen
or better during the Winter engaged
IN the practice of co-ordinating the
fire Of platoons and companies.
The inspection system. unusual in
its detail and its impersonal quality,
which has been installed in the En-
gineer Regiment by Capt. D. Lee
Hooper, Regular Army instructor. has
won commendation of Mai. Gen. Mil
ton A. Reckord, new commander of
the 29th Division, who said he hopes
to install it throughout his entire or
ganization. He said it might even be-
come a model for the entire Army
Devised After War.
The inspection method. called the
''zero-l system" was devised by Capt
Hooper when in command of a COM
pany in Georgia following the World
War. Its application TO the l2lst En-
gineers is the first time II has been
applied to a regiment
The system is based on Army regu-
lations as common denominator, and
lists 100 things for which the inspect
ing officer will look in every field of
activity In an Engineer regiment. Col
John w. Oehmann, commander OF the
regiment, feels that its value lies In
the fact that. given TO the troops,
1t shows enlisted men as well as on
GERS exactly what will be required of
them, and they are marked strictly on
that basis.
Elimination in the annual boxing
tournament were held, last night in
the open-air theater. One Knockout
was scored
The results we're:
Featherweight class-Homer J. Sow
ers, Company F. knocked out Charles
d. Gates, Company F, and Gilbert B.
jenkins, 29th Military Police, won
from @. B. Herndon.
Lightweight class - OTIS Harrison.
Headquarters and Service Company.
won from Charles H. Clifford, Com
pany F.
Welterweight class - Lawrence p
Perkins, Company B. won from Dave
Waite, Medical Detachment.
Middleweight-Cliff Garrison, milf
tary police, won from Irving Holober,
military police.
Semi-Finals Monday.
Semi-finals viii be fought Monday
night and finals Wednesday night.
Sergts. Phil Delaney and Paul Works.
man refereed the bouts, and Capt.
Douglas White and Lieut.. George F.
Harbin were judges.
The efficiency flag for the best COM
pany area was in the possession OF
the Medical Detachment today after
the detachment won a tosS-up to
break tie with companies D, Z and
F. All scored 81 per cent. The kitchen
flag went to Company F after another
toss-up to break a tie with Company
d. Both scored 80 per cent.