Page:The history and achievements of the Fort Sheridan officers' training camps.djvu/400

 ��THE FORT SHERIDAN ASSOCIATION

��thing. He is still a soldier. There is something a soldier does when he with- draws from his superior officer even w^hen he is sore. Subconsciously he is sure of that. He hesitates, hoping it will come to him.

His head does not w^ork, but his feet will. Suddenly they act. He opens the door, passes out into the open air. The cool breezes waken his soldier sense. HE HAS FORGOTTEN TO SALUTE! Now it is too late. What a tale. He has traveled these three months along the path of training and dis- cipline to forget the simplest act of army discipline? He recognizes his com- rades who, all in turn, go through the same experience.

The commissions were given out on Monday and with them an assign- ment to duty. Of course there were happy surprises and disappointments. Some three thousand new^ officers were made that day for the field forces of the Army.

One unfortunate rookie who had carelessly but freely show^n his bunkies a nice pair of gold oak leaves for his majority, which he had bought at the beginning of the Camp was compelled to go out and buy the single gold bar of "the shave-tail" and he was lucky at that.

After the newly-commissioned officers had seen their assignments there was many changes of plan. More than 1,500 were ordered to immediate service overseas. Some to put into practice what they had begun to learn in the protected area of Fort Sheridan.

All was bustle and haste. Only time to buy equipment, to say good-bye to friends and to take the train back home before entering on the great adventure.

It was at this time the Fort Sheri- dan Association first show^ed its worth, as thousands of men reaped its benefits in decreased cost of equipment and loans amounting to more than one hun- dred and fifty thousand dollars. There was a deep human tie in the Fort Sheri- dan Camp of friendship and mutual con- fidence out of w^hich such an idea was born and made practical. It was w^ith real hope of a perpetual friendship that these days w^ere ended.

As the last man left the Camp be- hind him and moved toward his home and afterward toward the great test be- yond, the real purpose of these camps became known and the final record was written written in the service of thou- sands of leaders in camps and on far

battlefields. Their spirit never faltered. HARRY E. WEESE ^,. , ,.,., ,

. . ^ r- ci 1 1 heir courage and ability surpassed even

Assistant 1 reasurer rt. Dheridan r • i • i ir i i i

Association our own faith in them. If we could only

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