Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-12-01
DC. and Nearby
Rockies Given
Week End Off
Many Are Expected
To Be Assigned to
Anti unk Unit
BY THOMAS c. HARDMAN,
Star Staff Correspondent.

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md,
Nov. 3o-Opportunity to spend a
holiday at home cleared this recruit
reception center tonight of vir-
tually the entire Washington rookie
contingent, a part of which had
spent only one day in military life.
With the exception of few youths
who were left behind for kitchen
duty, the District area recruits,
sporting their newly acquired uni
forms, deserted the post in groups
of from two to half a dozen during
the afternoon until, by nightfall, few
who had permission to leave re-
manned behind.
The rockies were warned they
must return to their barracks by IL
pm. tomorrow. Many of the WASH
ington trainees are expected to be
among the LOG recruits assigned to
permanent duty Monday with the
93rd Anti-Tank Battalion, a crack
combat unit attached to this post,
and officers in charge of the rockies
are anxious for their men to be well
rested when their assignment is an
nounced.
Selectees, who are in the same
companies with the Washington
men. but who live more than so
miles from the reservation we're not
allowed to visit their homes, the
orders combining the recruits to a
50-mile radius during the weekend
leave.
37-Mm. Gun Training.
Recruits who land in the anti-tank
gun outfit will be schooled in use Of
the 37-mm. anti-tank gun. A large
number of the men have expressed
! their preference to be assigned TO
this battalion. and others. who would
prefer the Air Corps, Cavalry or
some other such active assignment,
admitted today they would rather
take their chances with the anti
/ tank unit than be placed as clerk.
/ or as raw recruit with veterinarv
company. Many early arrivals at
| the reception center, most of them
trainees from Baltimore, Philade'-
phia and Pittsburgh, were given the
latter assignment Friday.
Parents and friends of selectivc
service soldiers who remained at th3
post this week end will be welcomed
at the reservation tomorrow. A few
of the Washington recruits received
visitors this afternoon.
Assignment officers said tonight
that after the requisition for the
93d Anti-tank Battalion Is filed
Monday, no further shipments prob
ably will be made until Wednes-
day, indicating that all Washington
area. recruits will remain at Fort
Meade at least until that time.
Good Food and Warm Quarters.
In all, rs trainees from the Wash
ington area were among approx
mately 300 youths who began mill
tary careers in the first week of
operation of this reception center
in the Nations peacetime mobiliza-
ton program. For them Army life
thus far has consisted of steam
heated barracks, good food land
plenty Of it,, a uniform with a
good fit in most instances. some
drills in marching fundamentals.
lectures on proper behavior of a
soldier and the Articles of War, writ
ten examinations to determine clas-
sif1cations, and, more of al, discipline
and regularity of living habits.
Uncertainty of when they will be
assigned and what they will be
doing in future has kept the re-
cruits more alert than they ordi-
narily would be with only the new
ness of the life as a factor. officers
at the post have observed. One
classification officer said this aft
ernoon that, by and large, the in
telligence of the selective service
rockies has been surprisingly high"
and that most of the newcomers
show promise of becoming real
soldiers"