Evening star., 1934-04-22
National Guard Plans
Busy Season on Range
Regular Army and Other Units to
Practice Shooting.

Engineers, has been ordered trans
ferred to the Headquarters Detach-
ment, 29th Division, in the grade Of
private.
The following have been ordered
transferred from the inactive to the
active list of their respective organi-
cations:
Pvt. J. L. B. Hall, Company E,
121st Engineers, and Pvt Walter
C. Smith, Medical Department De-
tachment, 260th Coast Artillery.
Sergt. Walter E. Klein has been
ordered transferred from the active to
the reserve list Of Battery A, 260th
Coast Artillery, on account Of busi-
ness interference with the PERFORM
ance Of military duty.
Considerable interest is being mani
tested among both the commissioned
and enlisted personnel OF the local
Guard in the coming appointment OF
a new commander for the organi-
zation to succeed the late Mai. Gen.
Anton Stephan. While Mai. Gen.
GIL IL. 4h1dAOllCp y. "A.
manding the Sd Corps Area head
quarters at Baltimore, has announced
the selection of Brig Gen. Milton A.
Reckord, commanding the National
Guard Of Maryland, to be major gen.
eral to command the 29th National
Guard Division, which comprises the
militia OF this city, the States of
Maryland and Virginia and certain
Heavy Field Artillery in PENNSYLVANIA.
no indication has yet been given as
TO who will command the local troops.
Gen. Stephan, in addition to being
the commander of the local militia,
commanded the National Guard Di-
vision. but, under a plan formulated
al the time of the formation Of the
division several years ago the division
command Is to go alternately to the
District, Maryland and Virginia. So
tne new commander of the local
Guard will only have the local troops.
which will be an integral part of the
militia division assigned to this area.
While President Roosevelt will issue
the commission to the new commander
OF the local Guard, he will make the
appointment on the recommendation
OF the War Department. through the
National Guard Bureau and the Sd
Army Corps headquarters. There is
considerable speculation in military
circles here as to who will win the
appointment. AT the present time four
names have been mentioned. They
are Col. Leroy w. Heron, Field Ar
tillery, Officers Reserve Corps. and a
former Artillery officer in the local
militia; Col. John w. Oehmann, COM
mander Of the l2lst Regiment of En-
glneers Of the Guard here, and acting
commander at the present time, and
Maj. Walter W. Burns.
There IS hope that the appointment
will be made within a short time as
there are many problems to be laid
before the new commanding general,
not the least of which is the SUPER
vision Of the many details incident to
the preparations Of the organizations
for their annual encampments. While
the camp dates have been set and the
sites announced, there is a multitude
of details to be carried forward, such
as the preparation of plans for the
movement of troops to and from the
camps, preparation of the camps, and
plans for obtaining the supplies for
the two-week periods.
The details for the preparation Of
the division headquarters camp, of
course, will not devolve on the local
commander this year. but will be
handled by Gen. Reckord from his
headquarters in Annapolis.
Another important problem which
will have to be undertaken by the new
commander will be that of carrying
on the movement for an armory for
the local troops. Efforts were started
by Gen. Stephan before he was COM
PEELED to seek sick leave to have an
armory built here with public works
funds. and it is understood that this
plan will be pressed until there is a
definite answer from the Public Works
Administration that the armory prof.
ect for the local militia will not be
considered.
A tentative site for such a struc-
ture has been selected on the Ana
costa River at the eastern terminus
of East Capitol street. This site has
the approval of the Guard officers, be-
cause it has the advantages of sufi-
cient land which could be used for
recreational purposes and for a drill
field.