2013.005

Lukacs, Claire

Gift

Museum Collections. Gift of a Friend of the Museum.

1918 - 1918

Date(s) Created: 1918 Date(s): 1918

Good

Notes: Archives 2013.005.0183 [pencil] Lt. Benedict - Fr. [printed] " B " INSPECTOR'S OFFICE Port of Embarkation, Hoboken, N. J. Sub-Office, Camp Merritt. [pencil] 108 1 to each officer [printed] September 20, 1918. Memorandum for Commanders of Regiments and of Separate Organizations: 1. Your command will be inspected twice before departure overseas. The first inspection will be in the nature of an instruction to indicate to your officers the standard of excellence of clothing and equipment which is set and which must be maintained for troops going overseas. Immediately after this instruction your company officers will themselves make the inspection as prescribed in paragraph 3 of this memorandum. 2. Company and detachment commanders will submit to the inspector, at the time of the first or preliminary inspection of the command, reports in triplicate showing the number of articles of clothing and equipment ''lacking" only, according to and on the sheets furnished by the inspector. Immediately after the first inspection, they will, with the assistance of their junior officers, make a close and exact personal inspection of the clothing and equipment of each man, and complete the inspection sheets. 3. As inspection often reveals the fact that clothing hitherto considered servicable is not suitable to be taken overseas, where supplies and transportation are scarce, it will not be until after the first inspection that requisitions will be submitted by the unit supply officer to the appropriate supply depots to fill the inadequacies disclosed at that inspection. In organizations commanded by officers below the grade of field officer, ordnance requisitions will be submitted to the inspector for his approval, in the name of the Commanding General. (See paragraph 1514, Army Regulations.) 4. The second inspection will take place at some time later to be designated, after your supply officer shall have drawn all shortages and issued them to the companies, who in turn shall issue them to the men. At this time the reports of equipment must be ready finally to be handed to the inspector; the first certificate on the back of the company sheet being dated as of date of first inspection and the second as of date of second inspection. Consolidated sheets will be submitted by the commanders of organizations consisting of more than one company, and they will be accompanied by the certificate required by paragraph 10, War Department Circular of July 11, 1918, These sheets should be properly signed. 5. At the time of the second inspection, the commander of each regimentor separate detachment will submit to the inspector two letters addressed to the Commanding General, Port of Embarkation, one explaining the reason why the alien enemies (if any) were not eliminated before being brought to Camp Merritt, and the other stating the reason for the shortage in clothing and equipage in his command at the time of arrival at Camp Merritt, as shown by his inspection sheets, and the reason why the command was reported fully equipped for oversea service, if indeed the command was so reported. 6. The articles found "unfit" for oversea service for any cause will be turned into the unit supply officer and a report of survey prepared by him cohering these articles. The surveying officer should recommend that allot' these articles be turned in for salvage to the Reclamation Officer, Camp Merritt, N. J. Clothing which has never been worn should be invoiced to the Quartermaster and turned into the Property Warehouse. Ordnance property is turned into the Ordnance Repair Shop. 7. Company and regimental commanders will cause a careful search to be made of service records, in order that they may report absolutely accurately, on the inspection sheet, the number of men of German, Austro-Hungarian, Turkish and Bulgarian birth, who have not completed their United States Naturalization papers. In the case of each of such men, the company commander will prepare a letter in triplicate, setting forth the date and place of birth, the date of arrival in the United States, whether or not the man (if a minor) was accompanied to the United States by his father, and whether such father took out full naturalization papers before the son attained his majority, the date (if any) upon which first naturalization papers were taken out, and in the case of drafted men, whether or not the man is willing to serve in this country. Every alien enemy will be transferred away from the company and the company commander will, in his report, make recommendation as to the disposition of a man after his transfer: for instance, whether he be retained in service in the United States or discharged, and if discharged, whether he should be interned, or not. 8. All alien soldiers entitled to naturalization and desiring it under the provision of the recent act of Congress, as published in Bulletin No. 28, War Department, 1918, will be presented as soon as possible to the Naturalization Court now sitting at Camp Merrit, in order that their applications may be passed upon and their naturalization effected prior to departure. 9. Attention is invited to the following extracts from orders: (a) "Officers with transient organizations reporting at embarkation camps will not be permitted to leave the camp until after completion of final inspection of their organizations for clothing and equipment This final inspection is not complete until the clothing and equipment for all of the men have been drawn and issued to the men and passed upon by the inspector; until the inspection papers are correctly and completely made out; until unworn articles of clothing have been turned into the warehouses and receipts obtained therefor; until alien enemies have been transferred; until surveys covering articles for reclamation have been approved and the articles turned in; aud until the hair of all enlisted men has been cut short." (b) "Every officer of the Army ordered for duty with the American Expeditionary Forces in France should have in his possession when embarking sufficient funds to complete his equipment, and in addition, $100 to meet his personal expenses until the first of the ensuing month. (c) "Commanding Officers are especially charged with seeing that no explosive, kerosene, gasoline or other dangerous or inflammable articles accompany the baggage, freight or troops. They will certify on packing lists of property to accompany troops overseas that no unauthorized articles of inflammable materials are included in the troops baggage. Such oils, cleaning materials, etc., as are prescribed by regulations and orders will be packed separately and plainly marked in order that they may be separated from other property when placed aboard ship." (d) The following instructions from the War Department are published to transient organizations at Camp Merritt: "War Department circular dated July 11, 1918, has been amended as follows: Troops ordered overseas will take writh them only the following: (1) Individual equipment and clothing enumerated on pages 3 and 4, War Department Circular, dated July 11, 1918, down to and including 'sweaters and knitted helmets.' (2) Pistol and rifle ammunition as at present prescribed and individual intrenching tools. (3) Field ranges as prescribed in Equipment C, tables of Fundamental allowances. (4) Organization records with filing equipment therefor. (5) Officers' clothing and equipment as given in the circular above, Automatic rifles and ammunition therefor, horses equipment (except that owned by of ficers which they are authorized to take as additional baggage) and all other equipment not specifically referred to in paragraph 1 above, will, prior to departure of organizations from mobilization camps for overseas service, be turned into the proper supply bureaus. All such equipment will be replaced upon arrival of organization overseas." The Commanding General, Port of embarkation, interprets paragraph (4) above as meaning that typewriters and four month's supply of blank forms shall be included in organization records and filing equipment therefor. All organization property bought from their funds, such as phonographs, barber chairs, and post exchange equipment must, by order of the War Department, be stripped from the organizaation before sailing. (e) All shoes and leggings turned into reclamation by departing organizations should be free from dirt, grit, or any foreign substance, and securely tied together in mated pairs, uppers inside, with heel opposite toe. (f) In the case of officers, identification tags will be stamped with the name, rank, regiment, corps or department of the wearer, and the letters "US", either io such form as "—US Infantry," or the letters "USA" detached from the organization. In the case of enlisted men, the tags will be stamped with the man's name and the letters "USA" on one side, and the Army Serial number on the other side. These tags are prescribed as a part of the uniform, and when not worn as directed herein will be habitually kept in the possession of the owner. By Command of BRIG. GEN. JUDSON: E. B. CASSATT, Lieutenant Colonel, Assistant Port Inspector. Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2013-07-31