The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1952-07-17
Local National Guard
Company Wins Honor
Plaque at Encampment
Result OF Two Weeks Training
Shows Oakland Company Tops
In Competition With Other
Units

Company &C" Hillbilies have re
turned home after their two-week en-
campment at A. P. Hill, Fredericks
burg, Virginia, bearing the honor
company plaque for the 121st Engi
ncers co. Battalion The honor com
pany is chosen on the basis of train
ing, morale, soldering, inspection
and attendance.
The two-weeks training followed ;
pattern of engineering problems
which were started with MOS train
ing for everyone on Monday anC
Tuesday, June 80 and July /. &C
Company's non-commissioncd officers
took first and third places in the con.
structon foreman class.
Wednesday morning, July 2, classes
were taught in river crossing expedi.
ents, which consisted of a shelte,
half raft, truck tarpauin raft, anc
assault boat. The afternoon was used
to build seven-tenths mile of road
Rising at 3 a. m. Thursday morn
ing, the Company acted as guides fol
an infantry assault crossing, Their
built footbridge, and finally an in
fantry support raft which ferried a
q ton truck across the lake.
Fridays problem was the constluc-
ton of the NJ Widened Steel Tread
way Bridge, d floating pontoon model
&C" Company beat the battalion
record by | y minutes on the con
struction of saddle assemblies on the
pontoons which carry the treadways
Saturday, a full field inspection had
to be cancelled because of rain. but
the weather cleared in the afternoon
and passes were issued for Fred
erickshurg.
Sunday was quiet. Most of the men
were resting up for the coming week
The Bailey bridge, a pre-fabricated
steel model, came up on Monday In
spite Of ankle-deep mud and heavy
rain, &C" Company was the only out
fit in the battalion to complete and
dis-assemble the bridge on one day
1t. Col. Hewitt, battalion commander
praised the company on fine job.
Tuesday brought a defensive mine
field to the company, which was eff
fectively laid in two 75-yard sections
in an inverted "V". A simulated
road crater tied it into a natural OBJ
stacIc.
The biggest problem of all came up
at 9 p. m. Tuesday night The Com
pany set out in tactical column and
marched 3l2 miles in the rain and
mud to its initial assembly area,
where the men got few hours sleep
before showing off for the enemy
shore i'm the assault boats At $50
a. m. the Company was picked up by
the guides and ferried across the
lake, where the enemy bad set up in
stallatons. After storming the breach
and re-grouping, the men preached a
minetield and called it a day.
Following an inspection in ranks
ON Thursday, the men took part in
the battalion track meet, which CON
sisted of drill competition, individual
drill, MI bindfold test, 30 cal. ma
chine gun test, and track and field
events. Pvt. Ferguson, of sc" Com
pany took first place in the high
jump, while Pfc. Stanley Bittinger won
the sack race. Scrgeants Orendorf and
Wcnsel won the three-legged race,
and Pfc. Thayer won the 220-yard
dash. "B" Company took first honors
at the track meet, Company &c"
placing second.
Life on the ground, in pup tents,
was enlivened by the fiddling of Pvt.
Wayne kisner, accompanied by Pfc
Stanley Bittinger on the guitar.
"Orange Blossom Special" was IA
vorite tune of the entire battalion.
On the last day of camp the music of
these two attracted Major General
Sands, division commander, who
listened for quarter of an hour to
the "hillbillies" from Company "C".
In the evenings the &C" Company
team bulldozed its way to the battal-
ion championship softbal pennant by
beating every company in the bat
TALON Piloted by LIST 1t. Arthur Cal
houn, the pitcher, this team went I'M
defeated for two weeks.