Evening star., 1940-12-08
29th Guard Division Officers
To Take Refresher Course
Some Local Troops to Go Into Field
Two Weeks Ahead of Others

Two weeks Aheud
Divisional officers of the 29th Ma
tional Guard Division, which in
cludes the troops of the District of
Columbia, Maryland and Virginia,
commanded by Maj. Gen. Milton A.
Reckord, are scheduled to begin to-
morrow a refresher course at the
Infantry School at Fort Benning,
Ga. The course will be continued
two weeks, after which the person.
mel will return to their home sta
tions to await orders sending them
into the field for their years training
The call to go to the school, 1t was
indicated. is a sudden one, and is de-
signed to bring the officers up to
date on matters which will confront
them as practical matter when
they go into the field The orders
are limited to the divisional staff
officers. but it was explained that
these officers will be so trained that
! when they return to their home sta
tions they can act as instructors of
the classes of the younger officers
in their units.
With the closing down Of the ex-
tension or correspondence courses,
which have been provided for Off
GERS of the National Guard during
the time that they were only on
National Guard duty. it is expected
that the Army will establish service
schools at the various cantonmentS
to which the troops are assigned
for training The younger officers
will be required TO attend these
schools. which. it was suggested,
would be instructed by the officers
who have completed courses in the
Army's correspondence course, but
who have also had the opportunity
TO attend the courses at one or more
Of the service schools in the field.
1t is probable that even during the
time the troops are in the field the
Army will provide for the transfer
Of certain officers from time to time
to send them TO the service schools.
About the first indication of a
definite date for the mobilization of
the local militia will come when
some of the 29th Division officers
and about 20 enlisted men receive
orders TO report for active duty. 1t
was indicated at brigade headquar-
terS last week. The enlisted men. it
was said, all will be from the Head
quarters Detachment of the 29th
| National Guard Division, which is
allocated to the local Guard.
Instructions were received an
nouncing that these officers and
men would be ordered to active duty
| two weeks ahead of the main body
of troops. They may be used at
the home stations to make prepara-
tions for the movement of the
troops, or, it was added, they might
be ordered Immediately into the
field, after the details of physical
examinations were taken care OF,
so as to make preparations on the
ground for the reception of the
main body of troops
Officers facing a call to the field,
it was said, have been so active
in completing correspondence courses
which they have enrolled that the
Regular Army instructors assigned
| to the various units have about
been showed under with them. The
papers turned in have to be cor
rected by the Regular Army instruc-
tors assigned to the units. 1t was
said they have so many that they
probably will be unable to rate those
already on file before the mobiliza-
ton order is received
For this reason, it may be neces-
sary to stop the issuance of lessons
and many of them will have to go
into the field without completing
them.
The quartermaster officers of the
29th National Guard Division, which
will prepare for the movement of
troops, and their equipment into the
field and provide for a constant flow
of supplies including food for their
units, will meet here next Sunday
to discuss plans
Headed by Col Ralph Hutchins,
commander, the officers of the 104th
Quartermaster Regiment have re-
ceived instructions to assemble here
for this purpose. In addition to
the local officers others will come
from Richmond and Baltimore.
The officers of the local battalion
Of the 104th Quartermaster Regi-
ment, headed by Maj. Fletcher F.
Bernsdorff, commander, held their
annual banquet last night.
When the local troops are moved
into the field, it was said that the
local armory will be maintained in
part, as all of the National Guard
offices will be open to keep the rec
ords in shape. The civilian force
will be kept on duty under the
direction of the adjutant general,
who is a Regular Army off1cer de-
tailed to the local Guard for this
purpose. Present plans do not call
for his going into the field with the
local troops. Brig. Gen. Cox. COM
manding the local militia brigade,
will maintain his office here as
Guard commander and also as dis
trict draft director.
Much Of the permanent property
will be left in the armory. No in
dications have been received from
the District authorities that they
desire to have the building to raze
to make way for the municipal
center site.
Caretakers will be kept at the
ride range OF Congress Heights.