The Wilmington morning star., 1940-08-24
GUARD
HEADS H0MEWARD
Co. l, 120th Infantry, Co.
A. lO5th Medical Regi-
ment To Arrive

The old refrain of when john
nv Comes Marching Home" may
well be heard around Wilmington
tonight at 1880 o'clock when Com
pany A, 1O5th Medical Regiment,
and Co., I, 10th Infantry, both
parts of the Both division, return to
Wilmington after maneuvers IN
Louisiana and Mississippi.
The men are scheduled to re-
turn here by train, having LETT
Louisiana on special trains Thurs
day.
An army release from Boyce,
La, reports the men, tanned by
sun, hardened by exercise a n d
marching, and disciplined by prog
ressive drill, are far better SOL
diers than when they left their
homes nearly three weeks ago, in
the considered judgment of thor
oughly experienced regular army
officers who supervised the field
instruction, served as control Off
GERS, or acted in observing ca
pacity."
An excerpt from the release fol-
lows:
what next?" is a question that
did not disturb the poise and mo-
rale of either officer or enlisted
man as the trains and conveys
departed. Even the general off,
GERS of the division do not know
the plans Of the War department
for the induction of these national
guardsmen for a year into federal
service. However, it is expected
that the call will come on or about
September Is accompanied by or
ders to recruit all units to full war
strength.
Officers of the division r gen.
orally confident that it will not be
necessary to call for drafted men
to fill their units to a strength,
an increase Of about 60 per cent.
Most believe that enough volun'
teers may be obtained in their
home communities through the
young men already enlisted secur'
ing new recruits from among thei1
friends and relatives.
Soon after the concentration o.
the division at Camp Shelby, Miss,
Major General Henry D. Russell
I division commander, instructed
his regimental commanding off
GERS to canvass the opinions o:
their subordinate officers in ref
erence to the time necessary tt
recruit their units to full W ]
strength by volunteers. Concensu:
5 of the reports was that it woule
} require not less than 10 nor more
t than 20 days to obtain the new
recruits.
< Meanwhile the present equip
l ment of the division was recheckeo
under authority of an order agains1
, the War departments tables of or
ganization and tables of basic al
loWances and the amounts of new
equipment needed for full wal
strength division were calculated
and tabulated. Fourth Corps Area
, headquarters at Atlanta was Their
advised of the articles of equip
ment needed, which included nine
: types of motor vehicles, four kinds
of tentage, sleeping cots, mattress
es, blankets and covers, mess kits,
and such articles of clothing as
. ~overcoats, raincoats, hats, shoes.
t wooden shirts and trousers, under
wear and socks. The numbers oil
clothing articles ran into the thou
!, sands and motor vehicles and tent
, ages into the hundreds, but all
figures were withheld by the staff
officer who consolidated the sur
vey reports and gave them to Gen.
ersl Russell.
The present state of discipline
of the division was rated as very
satisfactory following the move
ment from Camp Shelby last week
to the Third Army maneuver area,
a distance for nearly all units OIL
$50 miles. This was the frs I
march as a division for more than
a few miels that the Old Hickory
troops had made since the World
War. Notwithstanding about hall
of the personnel was transported
in motor conveys, with drivers in.
experienced in such mass move
ments and the passenger troops
not yet thoroughly impressed with
the need for strict observance OF
safety rules, there were no fatal
tiles or serious injuries reported.
Regular Army observers said that
the march discipline was excel.
lent.