Central Officers Training School - Shavetail Yearbook (Fort Gordon, GA)

Page 68 text:

. 1 . -... KX-X TWENTY-FOURTH COMPANY First Platoon

Page 67 text:

'Xxx l. v-X W K ,P-F54 .. , ,.,.'-f- -14.1 Q. V' if S TV' T f-is-gK,.,,s-fn., ' 1 i 5 iZ'Wf..iif:5?5 r 5 1,1 151565 i if -I v '1 f -a . Wi ' 1 f ffl ? fl, uf' iff fffii lui sf' ffif 4 e. 1 if 1'-iii ffkij' ff. Ii l il. L. 4 f I . 5 . R . . x 5 1 , 1 1 2 1 I r J..,.. C.O.T5. istnrp p HAT memorable September 15, 1918, is a day never to be forgotten by the members of the 24-th company, C. O. T. S. It is not so much the date or day as it ,ggi is what started on that day for us. After three months, i a glance back brings a flood of memories-memories that will always linger with us to bring happy recollections of the days when we were candidates for commissions in Uncle Sam's army. From the first the necessity of pep and more pep was in- stilled into us by our officers, and let it be said that the greater number of the company's personnel extended themselves to the limit to come up to expectations and to put the twenty-fourth on the map. Some of the fellows, we are sorry to say, did not show enough spirit, and, of course, they took .the long trail over the hill. While we are on the subject of officers and pep there is much to be said. Our original roster of officers was made up of Captain Farley, Commanding Officer, Captain Dyer, Administra- tive Officer, and Lieutenants O,Leary, Stafford, Allen, Scruby, Berwick and Denton, instructors. Every one of them entered into the spirit of the game from the first formation of the company and led the way for us in a manner to bring credit to themselves and to the country they were so faithfully serving. Through their un- tiring efforts the rough edges were ground off and we gradually began to look like prospective officers. Just when we had become accustomed to their ways, when we had come to look upon them as fathers, the big thing happened-a number of them were trans- ferred. For a while it seemed that we could not stand the blow, for it was a blow to many of us. Out of the old set the change left us only Lieutenants O'Leary, Allen and Denton. ln the places of the transferred officers came Captain Madden, Commanding,Officer, and Lieutenants Byers, Ebbinghaus, Oliver, Ferguson and Naccari. It did not take us long to realize that our new officers were heart- ily concerned in our work, and that they were putting forth their best to fit us for commissions. Under them we have worked and t .VN .X c --,,-.,-.,.,r,,--,r,, L, r.:....n...+ . f--------N--N ----M---W -- - .... . . .. -- . ..... ... learned, and it is to the credit of both sets of officers that we are today as far advanced as we are in the military game. They in- stilled into us the knowledge of close order drill, led us over hill and dale in extended order, urged us on on long hikes, taught us the principles and practices of rifie firing at the rifle range, infused us with the spirit of the bayonet, pointed out to us the mysteries of contours, vertical intervals and the other mystic terms of sketching and map making, guided us on outposts and patrols and advanced with us to the capture of strong points. They have been with us at all times and have won places in our hearts- places that are to remain. Company rivalry sprang into prominence the first day we were on the field, and, of course, resulted in every man putting forth his best, that his company might be the best in the battalion. On the score of spirit we of the twenty-fourth have nothing to fear. It is true that we did not make as much bluster about little things as did some of the other companies, particularly our neighbors of the twenty-fifth, but when it came to the things which counted the twenty-fourth was always in the limelight. Along with company rivalry came platoon rivalry, and it was always a question as to which platoon could put forth the best effort. With the close of our course in the C. O. T. S. we can look back on three months of the hardest work of our lives and realize what a wonderful amount of knowledge, spirit and tenacity it re- quires to be an officer in the army of the United States. Many men of the company left before graduation-going back to civil life to resume their peace time occupations. Others are leaving the school with their bars and putts, as officers in the United States Reserve Corps. Both ways were left open to us-some decided to get finished with the army as soon as possible, others to remain and continue their military training. The men in either class may, with pride and knowledge of work well done, look back in future years to their stay in the C. O. .T. S. and reflect that tl1e spirit of the school is the spirit which makes the United States of America the greatest nation on earth. f -..Qs . . - , ' r i1H',,,5g- '-,jjgvf'f-ik:'il-'-----

Page 69 text:

' x A--' .X,x TWENTY-FOURTH COMPANY Second Platoon