Kenyon College - Reveille Yearbook (Gambier, OH)

Page 32 text:

26 THE 1920 REVEILLE RAVAGES QF THE EPIDEMIC Shortly after the unit was mobilized an epidemic of the wide-spread Spanish iniiuenza gained a foothold and remained for six weeks. Because of the fact that there were four, and sometimes five men in one small room and as the men were crowded into the Philomathesian and Nu Pi Kappa literary society rooms each even- ing for two hours' study, the epidemic spread with amazing rapidity. Every day for almost a week, men would be seized with the disease and faint while standing in ranks. Ultimately, the West Wing was converted into a hospital and the Hu victims were there isolated, but not until they had had time to pass the germs on to others. Finally, when all patients were removed to the hospital, conditions were bet- tered. Eight men in the company acted as nurses and two professional nurses were secured. Soon, the wave had reached and passed its crest under the careful guidance of the graduate nurses. During the epidemic, two of the unit, Verner Lee Hulse and Neal Jones suc- cumbed to the dreaded disease. About the middle of October, another officer, Lieut. John J, Kindel, was assigned to the unit as rifle instructor. Of course, it was a small matter and VVashington was a busy little town about that time, but, nevertheless, it may be imagined that it was a trifle diliicult to instruct the men in the manual of arms and in shooting when there were no rifles. However, that was but one of the multitudinous slightly dis- concerting arrangements in the fall campaign of the Hill. Wlieri the unit had been operating but one month, orders were received to send five men to the O. T. C. at Camp Grant, Ill. Sergeants Weida, Snow, Corporal Branch, and Privates MacAdie and VValter were the men chosen. Second Lieut. Jesse C. Williams of Fort Stockton, Texas, was assigned to the unit in October and took up his duties immediately as drill instructor in which capacity he was an adept. - November 11-It is superliuous to mention what happened on that day. When the news first reached Gambier, recall was blown and the men raced to the front of Old Kenyon where pandemonium reigned for half an hour. At the end of the first period of rejoicing, the company was formed and marched through the streets of the village, singing. In the afternoon, the unit joined with the entire town in a big parade. Later the men were taken to lVIt. Vernon and there paraded in the main streets. Had .it not been known and whispered around, that the Kenyon unit was coming to lVIt. Vernon, the residents of that place might easily have mistaken the heterogeneous lot of marching men for a parade of factory employes as the government, evidently not caring t-o have the men in the Kenyon -unit divested of their individuality and foreseeing the end of the war shortly after the establishment of the S. A. T. C. units, had carefully not provided the men with any of their equipment. f Just before supper on that day of days, Lieut. Brewster announced that study hall would be dispensed with for that evening and, according to the usual Kenyon custom of celebrating any big event, a bonfire should be had. Immediately after

Page 31 text:

THE 1920 REVEILLE 25 Second Lieut. Jesse C. Williams Fort Stockton, Texas Speaking with a true southern accent, Hjessl' had a voice so pleasing that we used to think up some excuse in order to get into the ohice and listen to him talk. Hard to become acquainted with, but possessing a true, generous, and sym- pathetic heart once you know him, the officers found Jess most agreeable on all occasions while he was held in the deepest respect by the entire corps. The S. A. T. C. Smashing practically every precedent and tradition that Kenyon ever boasted, the Kenyon unit of the Students' Army Training Corps, beginning operations on lVIonday, October 1, 1918, lived through the signing of the armistice with a consider- able loss of morale and culminated upon government orders in its demobilization on Saturday, December 14, 1918, much to the extreme satisfaction of faculty, students and alumni alike. An impressive ceremony was witnessed by a large gathering of people on the second day of the unit's existence when the company was formed on the campus between the Alumni library and Ascension hall and formally inducted into the service of the United States, President William Foster Peirce and Lieut. Searle Mi. Brewster making inspiring add1'esses. I The non-commissioned ofhcers, with the exception of Sergeants Weida and Brewer, who had attended O. T. C. at Fort Sheridan, Ill., the previous summer, were picked from those having had some military experience before entering the unit and the machinery, for turning out good soldiers under the most trying conditions, that of drilling but two hours a day while the remainder of the time was taken up with academic work, was put in motion. The first few days were busy ones indeed for the commanding officer and Lieut. Lawrence B. Maplesdeii, adjutant. The company was divided into platoons of five squads each besides the detail squad, those men who were over twenty-one and more commonly known as the dirty dozen. The men were then assigned to quarters, averaging four men to one room, and physical exami- nations held. U

Page 33 text:

'THE 1920 REVEILLE 27 evening mess, the majority of men went in quest of wood while others busied them- selves in making a dummy Kaiser. The army was then called together and 13 men chosen to hold a general court martial for the trial of that notorious figure in world history. Needless to say, he was convicted and sentenced to be -burned in effigy. Carrying out the sentence, the beast of Berlinl' was tied to a stake on top the enormous pile of wood and the blaze started while the men indulged in the usual snake dance around the fire. Following this, and to close the evening speeches were made by President Peirce and Lieut. Brewster. With the lifting of the quarantine, which was prevalent during the influenza epidemic, a company dance was agitated, a committee was appointed and worked tirelessly for the next few days to give the company the pleasure of attending a dance as nearly like a Kenyon dance as one could be under the circumstances. On Friday, December 6, Rosse hall was a veritable fairyland for the men who had been kept under the quarantine for so long and they tripped the light fantastic until the wee, sma, hours to music furnished by Parker's orchestra. Shortly before the unit was disbanded, President Peirce presented medals to five men for excellence in military and academic work, their standing being compiled from a list tendered him by the commanding officer and from faculty reports. The medals were struck by the municipality of Verdun in commemoration of the defense of that city in 1916, and were secured by Dr. Peirce in a tunnel underneath the City. The following were the awards: For excellence in both military and academic work, standard medal, Sergeant Henry C. Wolfe of Coshocton, souvenir medals for the same work, Sergeant Robert C. Heinbuch and Corporal Kenneth C. Kastor, both of Cleveland. For excellence in military work, First Sergeant Isaac C. Brewer. For excellence in scholarship, Corporal William P. Wiseman of Lancaster. During the afternoon of Friday, December 13, physical examinations prepara- tory to demobilization were given and on the next day the unit was demobilized. ' Imagine, Mr. Alumnus, the Commons being turned into a mess hall on the cafeteria plan with no table cloths and no napkins, the divisions being divested of all furniture and made barracks, the Alumni library being a study hall Where all men marched to study when they had no classes and no one being allowed in said barracks except for a few minutes at noon, just before and after supper. Imagine Kenyon men tumbling out of bed at 5 245 in the morning to the call of a bugle and standing reveille a full half hour before breakfast, making their beds, sweeping out their rooms before breakfast, and the rising bell being rung only in case of a fire or fire drill! Truly, the government turned things topsy-turvy. To First Lieut. Brewster, commanding, is given the honor of making the unit what it grew to be-the best unit for its size, in the whole of the S. A. T. C. Kenyon may well feel exceedingly fortunate in having the service of such a man to command its first army corps.