Not lust
A Song
To Officer
By MARGIE ROBINSON
“Deep in the Heart of Texas”
Is more than a song to Captain
IP. G. Macomber. To him it repre
sents the location of Camp Wel
ters, one of the largest infantry
^replacement-training centers in
the U. S., where he is classifica
tion officer.
In the middle of his fourth year
on the University faculty, Cap
tain Macomber was called on Jan
uary 13, 1941, by the stentorian
voice of Uncle Saip. Then a re
serve officer (first lieutenant) in
the army, the former professor
went to Washington, D. C., to en
roll in a special adjutant general
school for classification officers.
After this he was exported to
Camp Wolters where he was pro
moted to the rank of captain.
Selectees Chances
Last term the captain, in the
.northwest on official business,
look advantage of a couple of
days’ leave to visit friends at the
University, including President
Donald M. Erb and the educa
1 ion faculty. Brimming' over with
■facts on camp life and inside
dope on chances selectees have
*•<> “make the grade,” Captain
Macomber reported that a college
education offers great possibili
SENIORS
Caps, downs, mid
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AT ONCE
All Orders Must
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spring Frocks
Fresh as New
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tiro insured ol‘ long life
by onr careful ami effi
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PHONE
252
148 W. 7th Ave.
HORACE ROBINSON . . .
. . . directs huge Junior Weekend musical.
ties for leadership and advance
ment in the army.
“I’d say that a college educa
tion is a very decided advantage
in the army." He leaned back
comfortably in a swivel chair. “In
fact, right now the college stu
dent who has definite leadership
ability stands a very good chance
of being selected for officer' train
ing," he stated confidentaly.
The captain added that most
of the boys in his office working
on classification are college grad
uates. At Camp Wolters the cap
tain's job is to find out the quali
fications of men who come in
“raw” from induction centers and
to determine what type of spe
cialist training they are to take.
Of course, some previous experi
ence does help the draftee when
he specializes. •
Training' Pays
“Selection is determined by the
requirements of the training the
men are to receive,” Captain Ma
comber explained. "For instance,
to be placed as motor mechanic
you have to be already trained,
because in 13 weeks a man can't
learn enough to become skilled,”
he* said. To become a radio opera
tor one need not have had pre
vious experience, however. For
this post men must have had at
least a tenth-grade education,
must have fairly high native
ability, and must rank in the up
per third in intelligence tests.
Captain Maeomber named 11
types of specialist training: auto
mechanics, truck drivers, buglers,
cooks, armorers (general mechan
ics and repairmen), clerks, pio
neers (“He is a sort of a rough
engineer; does demolition work
and that type of thing”), radio
operators, wire communication,
intelligence platoon training, and
message center. The responsibil
ity of those at the message cen
ter is to see that communications
are delivered to their proper plac
es. There are three types of bat
talion training for actual combat;
machine gunners, anti-tank gun
ners, and riflemen.
Not Enough Cooks
“Not nearly enough cooks have
had training—we have to train
them,” the former University fac
ulty member said, as the sun shin
ing through the window made a
bright pattern on his olive-col
ored coat.
Evidently those who become
cooks really want that post and
it isn’t at all a soft job. The cap
tain reported that many unskilled
persons want to get training as
cooks because it will serve them
later in civil life.
The schedule at Camp Wolters
allows six and three-quarters
hours or more of sleep a night.
Men get up at 5:45 a.m. in the
winter and eat breakfast at 6:30.
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They have dinner at noon, supper
at 5:30 p.m., and must be in bed
by 11.
Sports in Arenas
Recreation facilities at the
camp include a big sports arena
(“The floor space is as large as
that of the Igloo”) and a recrea
tion hall for each battalion. The
sports program gives men oppor
tunities to box, and to play soft
baseball and basketball although
they are not in camp long enough
to develop much competition.
Soldier’s also have a service
club, “like the student union Ore
gon doesn’t have,” and in this
there are reading rooms, a li
brary, a cafeteria, and a large
dance hall. Two expert camp or
chestras play for dances on Fri
day nights. Some members of the
orchestra personnels are out
standing, having played in big
name bands. Captain Macomber
reported a vocalist formerly with
Ted Weems was in camp at one
time. When the orchestra came
to Texas it made a special trip to
the camp to see the draftee, who
proudly had his picture taken
with the musical group in his new
uniform.
Equality the Rule
Other notable personalities at
Camp Wolters were formerly All
American football players, ma
jor league baseball players, and
golden gloves champions in box
ing. While papers often give
these men much publicity, the
captain said, they are treated
equal in the sight of officers and
men at the camp.
“For after all,” the captain
added, his leather belt creaking
at each move, “the thing that
makes a soldier is what he can
do with rifle and bayonet. If a
man is a good leader and is well
qualified, it doesn’t matter what
he did in civilian life.”
Camp Wolters, which gives ba
sic infantry training, places em
phasis upon marksmanship and
training of individual combat
skill (with bayonet, hand grenade,
etc.) There is not much group
work at the camp, but men learn
how to defend themselves and
wage offensive warfare. After
they leave the camp soldiers are
assigned to infantry organiza
tions all over the country and go
into maneuvers.
Texas Break In
Captain Macomber said that
the Texas climate was “not as
bad as he had expected,” adding,
eyes twinkling, that temperatures
in the summer were from 95 to
105 degrees in the shade. North
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ern boys have to be “broken in”
rather carefully so no heat pros
trations will result.
“Complain? Soldiers are al
ways complaining about some
thing,” the captain smiled, swiv
eling dexterously in his chair.
“They say if a soldier doesn't
complain he isn’t any good.”
Captain Macomber reports that
the morale at Camp Wolters is
exceptionally high. After 13
weeks of training a great ma
jority of the men are pretty much
reconciled to army life and even
like it, he said.
Pedagogy Calls
At intervals, former colleagues
of the captain stopped in to shSSte?
ham’ with him and to say that
they wanted to be sure and see
him before he left. Dr. Freeman
Glenn Macomber at the Univer
sity, the now-military man was
professor of education, director
of University high school and’the
placement bureau when he was
at Oregon.
He said that he is “finding the
change interesting,” but is “an
xious to get back to teaching” as
soon as he can. Captain Macom
ber said that the men at camp
call him “sir,” no nicknames. The
other officers call him “captain,”
and he, in turn, calls the Qolonel
“sir.”
RIP-EOARING FUN!
Abbott & Costello in
'RIDE 'EM
COWBOY'
A MUSICAL HIT!
'Birth of the Blues'
with Bing- Crosby
Mary Martin
Also
'HENRY ALDRICH
FOR PRESIDENT'
with Henry Aldrich
Jimmie Lydon
nsnEf
COMEDY OF THE YEAR!
Hugh Herbert in
'DON'T GET
PERSONAL'
Also Bill Elliott
Tex Ritter in
'KING OF
DODGE CITY'
A WAR DRAMA!
The Bugle Sounds'
with Wallace Beery
and Marjorie Main
Also Charlie Chan in
'Castle in the
Desert'
CLASSIFIED ADS
• Lost
LOST—Alpha Gamma Delta pin,
If found please phone 1780,
Helen Skjersaa.
WINE velvet belt between McAr
thur court and the Lemon O.
If found, phone Mrs. Davis,^
4916.
ON 13th street, a small black
key case, with one snap. Re
turn to Evelyn D. Johnson,
Susan Campbell hall.