Evening star., 1941-02-27
Indian Fighter Shows
Guardsmen Use Of
Latest Weapons
1t. Col. Wickhum Holds
Glasses for Officers
AT Fort Meade
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES,
Star Staff Correspondent.

At Fort Meade
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES,
Star Staff Correspondent
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Nd.
Feb. 27-An old Indian fighter is
teaching picked pupils of the 29th
Division, officers and non-coms, all
the intricacies of the latest and most
powerful infantry weapons.
Dive-bombers, tanks and panZer
divisions were far over the horizon
of history that october day in 1907
when this officer, now 1t. Col. F. O..
Wickham, Regular Army, took part
in the last recorded fight between
soldiers and Indians, in Utah. They
had no machine guns or semi-auto-
matte rifles in Troop K Of the 5th
Cavalry that day, but they routed
600 renegade Navajos, after a sharp
battle. Dismounted, they defeated
the Indians with their old cavalry
carbines. Col. Wickham was
sergeant.
This tough, bronzed officer does
not look old, though he began SOL
diering when horses were still an
army's swiftest means of locomotion
and infantry had to get places on
foot. And today on hilltop OF
the division area. he was telling the
officer students all about the Army's
newest firearms brought in by the
blitz era.
Col. Wickham is, so far as he
knows, the last Indian fighter still
in active service, but there are no
flies on him. The weapons and the
tvpe of warfare he and his comrades
used against the Utah Indians may
be obsolete, but he instructs his
charges in modern war. Nor Is there
snappier or less sedentary officer
in camp. When he is at his desk
at division headquarters mulling over
bales of papers, which he dislikes
enthusiastically, It's not hard 70
guess he'd much rather be IN the
field with troops.
Likes Garand Rifles.
During the World War he was at
the front with machine guns. Wnlle
he started out as cavalryman, ne
has been an infantryman for some
"a years.
The commissioned officers wear
dungarees, along with the enlisted
men who are pupils in Col. WICK
hams infantry weapons school, as
they manipulate the machine guns.
They must learn to do everything
with the gun-take it apart, put 1t
together, swing it into action at
lust the right angle and fire 1t ef-
fectively. At the end OF the course,
the pupils will go back to their
outfits and teach the machine gun
crews what they've learned.
Col. Wickham, who has been de-
tailed as a National Guard mstruc-
tor for some time, is enthusiastic
over the Garand semi-automatic
rie. which is replacing the bolt
action Springfield throughout the
Army. A good many Garands al
ready have been delivered to the
division and every infantryman
who carries a rifle soon will have
one.
One officer and two non-commis-
stoned officers from each rifle COM
pany is taking the course in ma
chine guns, rifles and mortars.
There are one officer and four en-
listed men from each anti-tank
battery.
Col. John w. Oehmann, COM
mander of the 121st Engineers. has
detailed six officers and six en-
listed men from this Washington
regiment to take the course.
Weather Good for Drills.
Taking advantage of the fine
weather of the last few days, the
infantry and artillery regiments
have been spread over the brown
fields and hills of scrub pine push
ing their basic training-close and
extended order drill, practice in
advancing and taking cover for the
infantry and standing gun" ex-
ercise for the artillery.
Maj. Gen. Milton A. Reckord,
commanding these National Guards
men from the District, Virginia,
Maryland and Pennsylvania, is well
pleased with the progress made
since the division, concentrated here
only last Friday, began its prescribed
training program.
The strength of the division was
reported at headquarters today as
9,104, consisting of 1876 officers and
8,209 enlisted men. When the 29th
is raised to war strength with the
addition of selectees, in April, it will
have 946 officers and 17,945 men.
1t was announced today that vo-
cational courses, taught by civilian
instructors, would be open to soldiers
caring to take them, beginning next
week. The first classes will be in
general clerical work. stenography
and typewriting, welding, tool and
die making, carburetion, ignition
and radio, Spanish and teacher
training courses. The instruction
will be given between and 10 pm.
Tuesdays and Thursdays and classes
of 20 or more will be organized. All
thorization for such instruction
came from the War Department.
Indications are that few men Of
the division will be paid of tomor-
row at the end of their first month
in Federal service. While pay rolls
were signed last week, most of the
organizations in the division prob
ably will receive no money before
late next week.
The regiments were modified in
their armories February 3, though
they did not start moving toward
the concentration point until two
weeks ago.