Evening star., 1940-12-15

Prospective delays in the troops
In the units of the District National
Guard going into the field may have
some effect on the efforts to enlist
the units up to the strength which
the War Department expects them
to take into the field. The prospect
of going into the filed shortly after
January l, it was indicated, had
served to spur up enlistments, as
some individuals who applied at the
recruiting Offices said frankly that
they wanted to enlist for immediate
service so that they could get their
training period in the background
and not wait uncertainties of train
ing If they waited for calls from
their local draft boards.
But with the housing situation at
Camp Meade progressing only slow
ly, there were some in the local
brigade who even questioned wheth-
er they would be In the field be-
fore next spring, especially in view
OF the fact that the Congress has
specified that there must be ade-
quate quarters, sanitary facilities
and hospitals ready to serve the
men before the War Department
could call them into the field.
Officers point out there is one in
teresting thing which has been OBJ
served among the enlisted person.
mel, and that is that number have
asked for and been given discharges
because Of removal from the city
now are returning and enlisting in
their former organizations. Ques-
tioning developed the fact that a
number of these men has asked for
discharges to go to other cities to
seek work in industries which they
were informed were looking for men.
They have found, 1t was said, that
either the work was not there or it
was so unstabilized as to be unat-
tractive and have returned to their
homes in Washington. Immediately
upon return they have applied for
re-enlistments in the old outfits
from which they were discharged
on account of removal from the city.
The delay in going into the field,
it is said, will help tn guardsmen
somewhat to gather more field
equipment, which is being sent in by
the War Department.
During the interim, while waiting
for their call, officers and men will
use the time to prepare every detail
so As to reduce the time between
mobilization at the armories here
and the time that they leave for
their training center. In the be-
ginning. this had been fixed as 10
days, but officers now believe that
the local troops will be able to move
out of their armories perhaps in
less than five days between the time
of the call and the arrival at the
training camp.
There is the hope that when the
year of training is completed. If
conditions do not get any worse,
which might require that the troops
remain in the field for longer
period, the local Guard will not
have to return to the present un-
satisfactory building, but will be able
to return to the proposed new
armory. However, this Is said to be
still in the problematical stage. The
drill hall, the center structure Of
the new building, is about COM
pleted. and under ordinary condi-
tions the next step will be the be-
ginning of the construction for the
troop quarters. Funds are being
asked of the next Congress to start
the work on their buildings, but with
q general tendency being shown to
cut down on expenses which are
not strictly for national defense
purposes, the question has been
raised as to whether Congress will
continue this project. On the other
hand it was pointed out that such
an expenditure Of funds would be
for national defense, as 1t would be
imperative If the troops are returned
to their home stations after a year
of training that they be provided
with adequate facilities for keep
ing up the lessons they have learned
while in the field so that they will
be ever ready for field service. They
have been handicapped considera-
bly, in their training work in the
most unsatisfactory conditions in
their present armory.
It was indicated that the attend
ance Of the various units has been
we'll kept up during the period while
awaiting the call into the field.
However, it was said that attend
ance now is more important than in
ordinary times, in view of the speci-
fication Of the War Department that
the units can only hold one drill a
week. This means that If drill is
suspended for any reason at all 1t
cannot be made up. Heretofore, it
was said, the drills have been allo-
Gated by quarters of the year, so
that If a drill was dropped for any
reason at a later period the lost
time could be made up and the
men paid for 1t. This new order
has just gone into effect.
Headquarters Company, 104th
Quartermaster Regiment, one Of the
comparatively new units Of the local
militia brigade, has captured the
trophy awarded each year to the
organization which has the highest
percentage Of attendance for the
training year, 1t was announced at
brigade headquarters last week. The
trophy was presented some time ago
to the local brigade by the District
Of Columbia Department, Veterans
Of Foreign Wars.