Concordia College - Spire / Concordian Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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CONCORDIA CADET BATTALION lis.J.A[ij.!ii .li iXiJ-J J.=i. -P. U. S. Officer, S.-rgeanl 11. Small Ca.kl Major, E. T. Lau c Captain Co. A., J. Maas Captain Co. C, A. Kleps Captain Co. B., A. Trinkloin Captain Co. D., M. Poch Captain Band. K. Scliniid (£. (E. - -

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ulapa The Military Department One III till ' most pleasing and striking I ' eatures was the un- usii;il iic I . .ii the military department. Major E. T. Lange, will) iIm ' ;i M-iaiice of the cadet officers, has developed an ainiu.st pi iRei battalion, whose military precision and accu- racy aroused admiration far and wide. Even the newspapers made frequent comments on the adeptness and the general carriage of the cadets. At the beginning of the year the commissioned officers of the four companies were confronted with a difficult task, for owing to the admirable work of the Alma Mater Club the number of recruits almost equaled that of the veterans. So there was nothing to do but for the officers to persevere in drilling these newcomers until they could take their places in the ranks. With unprecedented vigor the officers set to work, anil in less than two months the recruit? were suffi- iintly :ulvanced to march side by side with the veterans. . lilit;ny training works wonders with the students attending CoiKordia. Its effect on the general healih of lli hiys h-is been such that since its introduction, oin- ii](i;ii:il hill linr been cut in half. It helps materially to iiii|Mn , ih, di . ipl of the institution and teaches the student - i.i In . Ii -,, . ininu. it creates a sjiirit ot Uianliiicss ami icspiMisihilil iii Hie of- rici ' i-s. wliich ill luni iiirih- ili. ' iiiuai. i.i !..■ aiiilntious and uid(-awal iv Siiiri ' drill i- r, il-.,ii , .x.in Im.v, rven the iiig is indispensable to the Coucordians. One radical improvement made during the year was the change in the uniform of the commissioned officer. In order lo show that he has risen above the rank and file of the ■hoi polloi , he now wears breeches and leather p uttees, after I hi ' tasliion of the U. S. Army officer. This decided improve- The large crowds that attend our annual military tourna- ments and the multitudes that vociferously cheer the battalion during its downtown parades are sufficient evidence that Con- cordia ' s military system is popular with the public. Whenever there is a gathering at Concordia, an exhibition drill is usually called for. On May 7, for instance, when the Diamond Jubilee of the Missouri Synod was celebrated, the cadets were seen in action and the people were unanimous in pronouncing it the finest exhibition of drilling they had ever seen. The applause received by the cadets, resplendent in their natty dress uni- forms, during the Decoration Day parade is further proof that the public takes great pride in our military unit. The tournament, however, which lures people from all over the Central States, is the most important military event of the year. The purpose of this event is to increase the interest of the students in their military work, and to increase the pres- tige of the institution in the eyes of the public. The program usually consists of salute to the colors, company and competi- tive drills, wall scaling, wheelbarrow races, and a battalion fancy drill. In addition to these, this year ' s program included a battle scene of modern warfare, which proved to be a com- plete success. Not only is our military department in high standing with the public, but also with the other military institutions of our country. The reputation of our cadet corps, in competition with the military units from other colleges a ' ov:r the United States, may well give the alumni reason to be proud of their Alma Mater, for our military department is ranked among the best by the official inspectors of the U. S. Army. Since the war the supervision of the battalion has been under the direction of Sergeant Small. I ' . S. Army, the bulk of the work falling upon the cadet officers themselves. (I. cc.

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uiaps TbyifNAMt Decoration D t (!!.(!;.