Citizens Military Training Camp - Full Pack Yearbook (Fort Leavenworth, KS)

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E 'HE Citizens' Military Training Camps are the outgrowth of ten years of effort on the part of men, both in and out of the Army, to convince Congress and the na- tion at large of the wisdom of assembling each year a number of young men for a certain amount of military and citizenship training. Conceived by Leonard Wood and ' ' ' 913 approved by Theodore Roosevelt, and other patriots, it assumed a definite form in l , when some 300 college men were gathered in two camps, one at Gettysburg and the other at the Presidio of Monterey. A number of college presidents were so impressed with the results obtained at these first camps that they organized-under the leadership of Dr. Henry S. Drinker of Lehigh University--a College Presidents Advisory Committee, h ' ' ovement. Its mem- This Committee had great influence in advancing t e training camp m bership includes the presidents of nearly all the prominent colleges and universities in the country. ln 1914 the movement was extended so that four camps were held at various ' ' ' Pl b h Id places and the next year saw the birth of what is still known as the atts urg ea. ln that ear the first of the so-called Business Men's Camps was held at Plattsburgh, and Y in four other localities, the total enrollment being 3383. The success of the l9l5 camps h ld was so pronounced that in 1916 the number of young men attending the six camps e that year leaped to over l6,000. The men attending all of these various camps did so at their own expense. The year l9l6 also saw the inception of the Military Training Camps Association which undertook to father the civilian training camp movement and still is responsible for its continued success and remarkable growth. Due to the activities of this organization, 50,000 applicants had enrolled for the summer camps in 1917 when war was declared. ' d' tel turned into The proposed camps, at the suggestion of the Association, were imme la y Ufficers' Training Camps and all the machinery of the organization was then employed in filling the camps with young men Who were eligible and anxious to qualify for com- missions in the wartime Army. ln the post-war period the Association labored successfully to secure a definite status for training camps by inducing Congress to incorporate in the National Defense Act of l920 a provision for the organization of the Citizens' Military Training Camps as well as the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Both met with favor in the eyes of Congress and the people as a whole and there is a marked increase year by year in the support given both forms of this civilian training and the goal set by the late President l'larding--sum- mer training for 100,000 young men annually-is not far in the future.

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I Students attending the entire series of camps will discover that the course of instruc- tion is based on a well worked out program which carries the applicant from the elemen- tary recruit training to the point where he may qualify as a junior company ofhcer. The training given at the summer camps is not confined to essentially military subjects. A great deal of time is devoted to athletic sports which are designed to develop physical strength and mental alertness as well as bring to the surface the qualities so essential to the soldier and officer-thejability to think and act quickly and the ability to direct the efforts of others. Although the summer camps are. conducted under the supervision of officers of the Army and the environment is a military' one, the training itself is essentially civilian in its character. Proficiency in the military arts is one of the objects to-be attained by the camps but one of the most important ends sought is to make the young men of the nation qualified for effective service as citizens. ' ln the Regulations setting forth the policy governing the Camps their object is stated to be as follows: . , . . . To develop closer national and social unity by bringing together young men of all type-s, both native and foreign borng to teach the privileges, duties and responsi- bilities of citizenshipg to stimulate the interest of the youth of the country in the im- portance of military training as a benefit to the individual taking such training and as an asset vital to the problem of national defense. The purpose of these camps and the methods employed in their conduct are in keep- ing with our traditionsf The making of our national policies, including those dealing with defense, always has been and always will be in the hands of civilians and it is only the function of the Army to carry them out. e The planning and execution of the summer training program is a function of the Regular Army,.but since the personnel to be trained consists entirely of civilians, it is fitting that civilians should assist the War Department in obtaining enrollments for these camps.

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Foreword I-IEvobject of the Citizens'-Military Training Camps is to inculf cate in boys those manly virtues which distingulsh good c1t1 zens from had ones, strong active-citizens from Weak flabby ones, patriotic citizens, Whobelieve in the destiny of their own country, from those sickly nondescripts Who see good only in foreign coun- tries and foreign institutions. In these camps are developed initia- tive, resourcefulness andcourageg right thinking, the spirit of team play and regard for the rights of others. In these camps there is physical development, mental development, and moral development. To the young men' who attended the Fort Leavenworth Camp I extend my hearty congratulations on a good Work well done. It has been a pleasure to be your commanding officer. I hope you may all return next year. I congratulate you and I Wish you Well. HARRY A. SMITH, Brigadier General, U. S. Army.