Evening star., 1935-09-08

their nome Stdtlon, OmcerS
l. i and men of the National
Guard of the District of Columbia,
after storing their field equipment in
their armory, took a brief respite last
week. The armory drill period was
suspended last Tuesday night for the
2eth Division Headquarters Troops
and 12lst Regiment of Engineers.
After this short vacation the Guards
men will return to their weekly drill
duties and start hard Fall and Win
ter armory drill schedule, which will
carry them up to the annual inspec-
tions which, according to plans. are
to be made this year by boards Of
Regular Army officers from other
jurisdictions. 1t should be explained
that during the period of short
age Of funds because of the gov
ernmental economy the inspections
were made by the regular instructors
assigned to the various outfits. How
ever, it was said that funds now are
available for the transportation Of
officers for these inspections, and they
will be resumed. However. it was in
dicated that the drill schedules of the
militia units would have to be ar
ranged to suit the itineraries OF the
various inspectors, and that it might
be necessary in some cases to hold
these drills on Saturday nights.
Despite the ban on the movement
of all of the District of Columbia
troops into the Pennsylvania war area
as planned, officers and Is enlisted
men of the divisional outfit went to
PENNSYLVANIA, where they served with
Mai. Gen. Reckord. comma nding the
2eth National Guard Division. which
is composed of troops from this city,
the States of Maryland and Virginia
and a portion of Pennsylvania. This
contingent was headed by Maj. Will
liam T. Roy and Capt. Hugh Ever
EFT, jr. In addition. Capt. ]. c.
Jensen, Ordnance Department, in
charge of all rife practice here, with
two enlisted men went up the first
week to carry out the musketry
problems which had been arranged
for the maneuvers prior to the time
that Pennsylvania put restrictions on
the troops because of the prevalence
OF infantile paralysis.
Col. John w. Oehmann, command
ing the local Militia, received a letter
from Gen. Reckord, praising in the
highest terms the manner in which
these officers and men performed their
duties in connection with the ma
neuvers. He reported that Capt. Jen-
sen did a splendid job, and also said
that Mai. Roy and Capt. Everett per-
formed their duties very efficiently.
While the local troops were consid-
erably disappointed over the fact that
they could not 60 to Pennsylvania for
the maneuvers, nevertheless 1t was
said that they transformed their rifle
range camp into model. The sudden
shift in the orders at the last minute
indicated that the local troops were
well prepared for any emergency and
they set wholeheartedly to the task
of converting a rough rifle range site
into a model camp, and for this work
they received the praise of all who saw
1t, including the District of Columbia
officials and high officials and officers
from the War Department.
National Guard units have received
instructions from the War Department
that they must send in the data con-
cerning their histories.
The National Guard Bureau" says
the letter. "is particularly anxious for
M re q
interests Of the States, that all out
standing matters relating to histories
of units or to Insignia be cleared up
before October /. 1885.
Every effor' should, therefore, be
made by the Military Department of
each State to insure that this work
be undertaken Immediately and
pushed to prompt conclusion.
Histories not approved before De-
cember 81, 1885, may be in danger of
encountering serious difficulties, and
those not approved or completed by
October l cannot expect to receive the
same measure of assistance from the
National Guard Bureau that has been
possible in the past.
December 81, 1885, has been fixed
by the War Department as the dead
line for the reconStituting Of World
War units.
This means that no unit brought
into existence after this date will be
recognized as being a reconstruction Of
a World War unit demobilized after
the war unless steps have been taken
meanwhile to identify it with the pre-
Nously existing unit.
Surveys such as are called for in
the Regular Army and Organized Re-
serves should, therefore, be made for
the National Guard units in all States
in which this has not already been
done, and appropriate steps should be
taken to announce the intentions Of
the State military authorities with
respect to National Guard units al
located to the State and not yet or
ganized, or already organized and
whose histories have not yet been ap-
proved, identifying them with appro-
pirate World War units of the Ma
tional Guard demobilized and not yet
ACCOiloLlGutCQ.
COPIES of such orders as may be
Issued should be furnished the Ma
tional Guard Bureau for its own use,
for the use of the office of the adjutant
general of the Army, the Office of the
quartermaster general, and for the
Historical Section, Army War College
I'm. order that conflicting claims
may be set up between States in cases
in which single World War unit was
formed with troops from two or more
States, or in cases in which a present
unit in one or more States bears the
same designation as a World War
unit from different State, or States
1t is suggested that the States con-
cerned should confer and come to an
agreement among themselves before
issuing orders.
In view of the deadline and the
possibility of difficulties arising there
from in the preparation of outline his
tories or organizations, it is urged that
such histories as have mot yet been
written he completad and e,,hy,oitt ar,