Evening star., 1942-09-07
HundredsAttend
Fort be|voir
Exhibition
Labor Day Program
Continues Today
With Parade

Playing host to hundreds of visi-
tors, soldiers at Fort Belvoir opened
their Labor Day program yesterday
afternoon with a military exhibition
featured by the first regimental pa
rade held there since the declaration
Of war.
It was the initial half of a two
day series of exercises, all of which
will be open to the public, and was
made up of both athletic and mill
tary events. This afternoons pro-
gram will include retreat parade,
fixed bridge construction, rife
craftsmanship and use of floating
bridges.
Labor Day may be a holiday to the
visitors who will pass in and out of
the camp during the two. days, but
it will mean no rest for the trainees.
Notice was given that enlisted men
would not be excused from their
regular duties.
31st Engineers Parade.
Fort Belvoir's crack demonstration
outfit, the 31st Engineers, got the
assignment for yesterdays regimen
tai parade. This was the opening
number of the day.
In a setting as peaceful as the
drill field of some military school,
the regiment passed in review before
Brig. Gen. Roscoe G. Crawford, COM
mandant of the Engineer School,
and the regimental staff.
After the review, soldiers were
scattered over the field in series of
military competitive events which
were carried out two or three at a
time Among the first was contest
in which details from six companies
raced to unlimber 37-mm. anti-tank
guns and put them in correct field
firing position.
This was won by the team from
Co. D, with speed of 13 seconds,
but the crowd got it's biggest kick
well before the competition was
decided. AS the teams lined up be-
hind their respective guns, the cap
each detail would move to different
guns. Spectators laughed, aware
that, If team had made unauthor-
lied preparation to add an extra
second to its record, the advantage
OF such foresight would pass to
competitive unit.
Pair of Socks Left.
Another laugh came when SOL
diers, on their knees, raced to roll
UP their packs and don full field
equipment. One by one, they f1n-
ished and lined up before the judges.
When the last man had raced to
take his place IN line. the ground
behind the group, which few min
utes before had been Uttered with
rifles, dishes and toilet articles, was
clear except for single pair of
socks.
Considerable interest was at
tracted by the 100-yard dash with
full field equipment. While the
crowd cheered, Pvt. Joseph Johnson
OF Co. c, the winner, covered the
distance In IA seconds.
Other events included tent pitch
ing, field stripping and assembly of
30-caliber machine guns, manual of
arms, and athletic contests, among
them races, dashes and horseshoe
pitching. Considerable time was
accorded platoon drill, each pla-
toon of 81 men from five companies
executing IL movements, two move
ments in front of each judge. In
this competition they were judged
for completeness of uniform and
rhythm of movements.
Visitors will be admitted at the
camp until s pm. today. The re-
treat parade is scheduled to last
from Sis to $50 pm. The exer-
cises will end at the Replacement
Center Guard House at $40 pm.
with a guard mount.
Workmanship and exhibitions on
various types of construction will
be given from l to 4pm. They will
take place in the Replacement Gen.
ter and at the fixed bridge area.
Friends and relatives may see off,
Ger candidates on the Accotink Rifle
Range from to pm.