M
THE CADUCEUS
DON’T NEED VIRGIL.
'JVSTICE GRANTS TO-ALL A-VOICE-
SALUTE GOLD STAR.
Public Forum Editor:
I want to add a word to the general
movement for saluting the gold star
in the service flags. I think that every
civilian should uncover his head when
he passes a service flag bearing one
of the gold stars and every soldier
should respectfully salute.
Nothing would help those who have
given up their loved ones like this
visible and continued show of rever-
once from the public. Such a tribute
is but due to the memory of those who
have glorified their country by their
sacrifice. I hope the practice is anaug-
urated for the duration of the war at
least and wish that The Caduceus
readers would be the first to adopt
that attention in this region.
—A Patriot.
SERVICE STRIPES.
The Caduceus:
The appearance of several men who
have recently returned from service
overseas and the conspiciousness of
their foreign service emblem remind
ed me - again of something that has
bothered me for some time. )
Personally, I enlisted in an organi
zation for overseas service soon after
war was declared and an unfortunate
trend of events has resulted in my be
ing stationed here at the hospital for
about a year. I have made several suc
cessful attempts to transfer to a for
eign service outfit but no I seemed to
remain here scheduled for domestic
service. Here I am a member of the
regular army not a conscript and oblig
ed to stand by and see men who were
drafted and went unwillingly to
Prance return home emblazoned with
their blue or gold “Vs.”
When I object they tell me that I
am doing my share here and possibly
even more than I could do on the other
side, now if that is the case I shall
try to be Content but am I not entitled
to some form of service emblem?
Does not my experience of IG
months service the privilege of wear
ing an insignia showing their period
of service and are not the men in the
army entitled to a similar privilege.
If I am of greater value here than
across why not give me some recog
nition? I do not ask for a foreign ser
vice “V” but why not an inverted “V”
or a triangle or something of that na
ture for six month’s service here in
the U. S. A.?
Sgt. L. ^— Base Hospital.
The Caduceus,
Camp Greene, N. C.
For The Public Forum:
The columns of your paper presents
to me for the first time the opportunity
of expressing my opinion on a certain
matter that has been in my mind for
some time and to still do so through
a military medium.
The subject in question is the prod
uct of the so-called officers’ training
camp.
The line organizations of the army
today are flooded with what are term
ed among the men as ninety-day-he
roes, men who have graduated from
a course of three months’ intensive
training in infantry work for example
and are considered qualified to train
men who have been in the service for
years and years and while these en
listed men may not be college grad
uates, expert lawyers or qualified arch
itects they are SOLDIERS and I ask
you which of the two classes are we
in need of; the polished business man
or the trained and seasoned soldier?
True, our enlisted man may not be
able to solve complicated problems in
algebra or translate at length from Vir
gil, but are those qualifications nec
essary to take a trench from the hands
of the war-maddened Hun? now about
the man who licked Moros in Luzo.*
or helped to defeat Huerta at Vera
Cruz, mayhap he never heard of Keats
or Shelley but can be handle a Spring-
field? Decidedly yes!
Now, from a standpoint of “world
wide justice” which of the two men is
the better qualified to lead the boys to
perhaps their last earthly conflict, the
individual who ivNOWS the army and
its methods as a result of three months
at a training camp or the man who
has lived the army life, fought in its
battles and studied the regulations for
one enlistment of four years or more?
—R. H. G. 122nd Infantry.
WHY NOT MORE.
Thos ardent prohibitionists prob
ably will be pleased to learn that the
Canal du Nord is also bone dry.
For The Forum:
While it is rather unusual I will ad
mit, still I think that I can honestly
state that I have seen fully five of
(Charoltte’s automobiles with the le
gend “A lift for a soldier as far as I
go.”
Possibly the experience of a friend
of mine who started to walk from
Hoskins to Charoltte may explain it.
He had proceeded about a half mine or
so when a large Buick with a lady and
' gentleman in it pulled up beside him
and asked if he wanted a lift. Natural
ly he accepted as soon as he recov
ered his senses and in the course of
conversation with tae kind driver caus-
ually mentioned that he was the first
person from the South who had offered
to carry a soldier free. The gentleman
smiled and said that he was sorry but
that he hailed from Pennsylvania.
This is a sad condition that seems to
exist either in actuality or in the minds
of the men at comp, isn’t there some
remedy? I wonder!
F. K. H. Camp Greene.
Medical Men!
When in town going
from Square to Sol
diers Club for dancing,
stop and see
BAXEVAND
8 CHARLES
Next to K of G.
The former owners of
the company street
canteen. In their new
FRUIT STAND
You will find
Fancy Fruits Cigars
Soft Drinks Cigarettes
Candy Cakes, Etc.
Besides
RIGHT TREATMENT
AND
PROMT SERVICE
JUST SAY
Hell with
the Kaiser!^’
Then go to the
OTTOWAY
THEATRE
TODAY
BUT
GET
THERE
EARLY!