Evening star., 1938-10-09

which has been shown during the past
few years in target practice by men,
bers of the District National Guard.
Maj. Just C. Jensen, in charge of all
rifle practice, is seeking to have re-
vived here the annual fall rife matches.
These matches, for many years.. were
an outstanding feature Of the Guards
annual rife training on the local range
at Congress Heights, D. c., but were
discontinued because Of the lack Of
funds.
Maj. Jensen has asked brigade head
quarters to ascertain II there are any
funds available 80 that the matches
can be held before the weather becomes
too cold. It was indicated q number
Of the enlisted personnel have evinced
an interest in the subject and have
indicated that they would be willing to
participate.
Two units Of the local militia will
have a prominent part in the Inter-
American Horse Show to be held at the
Meadowbrook Show grounds the latter
part of this month. The committee in
charge of the show has requested the
local militia to assign its two bands
to furnish concerts, and the militia
officials have consented. The bands
have volunteered their services, as
otherwise they would have to be or
dered out and the men paid, under
the terms of the local militia act, which
has recently been upheld In the local
courts.
The 121st Regiment Of Engineers
Band will play on one afternoon, while
that Of the 260th Coast Artillery will
play on another afternoon. It is
known, however, that the two local
military bands will play on Saturday
and Sunday, the last two days of the
show.
Units OF the local militia, during
the inspections and observations, con-
Quoted by boards of Regular Army
officers during the annual encamp-
ments Of last summer. were found
to be in various stages of readiness for
field service in the event Of an emer-
gency making 1t necessary to call them
to active duty. The estimates range
from ready for immediate field service
to readiness after 80 days of intensive
training in the mobilization camp.
Some units, the reports indicated,
would be materially improved by fur
ther training. and some after inten-
sive field training which now is not
available to them during the armory
drill periods.
The deficiencies generally found
among the local units were those
which might happen to any unit in
the field, and do not necessarily re-
fleet on their lack of training, it was
indicated. They range from finding
flies in the mess shacks of some units
while the boards were making their
rounds, to deficiency in wash cans
for sterilization Of the mess equip
ment Of the troops.
While some Of the boards noted that
the units should do many Of the things
in the armory which they were OBJ
served doing during the encampment,
by the remark that the members of
the boards understood that the armory
facilities here do not permit Of such
training of which they spoke The
training particularly stressed was that
that could only be obtained on a large
parade ground or satisfactory drill hall.
The local militia has neither of these,
although it has been trying for years
to convince Congress and the District
and Federal executive departments
that these facilities are badly needed
here.
In view of the reports of the boards
in this respect it is expected that they
will be made part of the record in the
local militia Officers movement to take
their fight for an armory direct to
Congress at the approaching SESSION,
data for which is now being assembled.
The goth Division Military Police
Company, for the ninth consecutive
year, was winner of the trophy pre-
sented by the District OF Columbia De-
partment, Veterans of Foreign Wars,
as reward for the high percentage
Of attendance in competition with
other companies.
The trophy will be formally pre-
sented at special ceremony at which
all units of the local Guard will be
assembled on the night of october 18.