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“Your captain, then, suggests the wise friend, coining down several ranks.“Aw, he’s all right and we’re always there to salute him, but there’s others,’’ says the private.“How about your top sergeant, a veteran ‘noucora’ with rough talk and a strong right?” oslcs the friend, losing confidence.We're all for him, but there’s others Just as good ns him too,” insists the private.Put us next, who’s the boss of the company?” the first questioner Insists.“The cook, who else? chorus half ft dozen.That’s tho hero—the company cook, writes Junius R. Wood, In the Chicago Daily News. The cook may bo hot nnd grouchy, his uniform greasy and his eyes red from smoko, but he Is the most respected man In the mess. That Is, If ho Is a good cook. Even If he Isn’t a good cook, ludeeu Is a very poor cook, wtflch is unusual for our army, nobody “bawls him out” to his face as they might even do to n sergeant major who isn’t much of a scrapper. Any kicks or grumbling aguinst oven the worst cook are made In private and out of his earshot.Say, cook, gimme another helpin’ of the ‘slum gulllon?’ ” agks a soldier, coming up with his tin n»ess kit scoured clean with a hunk of bread of all traces of the first helping of stew.“No seconds, tonight,” replies the— - -- * “ —* v UUUhis cooks to seo that everybody gets his share of everything nnd that nothing is left over. That means close figuring with only his eyes and a big spoon to meusure by.For each Infantry company of 204 men there are a mess sergeant and three cooks. Under tho old organization there were a sergeant and three cooks for a company of 153 men nnd officers. Tho way It works out up to a brigade unit la:Bat- Regi-Comnanv. talton ment.Brlgade. Officers and men.201 760 2.736 6,451Me eg Bergeanta... 1 4 14 2SCooks ............. 3 11 38 77Bolling kitchens.. 1 4 15 80nation wagons... 1 4 28 5SIn tho field, officers cat the same food as the men. If they want to pur-chnso some extra dainties that Is their affair. Any man can do the same. The government issues sugar for the coffee, nnd Jam or preserves or dried fruit. At mess time, the men, each carrying his kit, line up in front of the kitchen. As the line passes along, the sergeant dishes up the stew and beans or other vegetables, oua of the cooks, doles out the bread, another fills the coffee mugs and the third is sweltering over tho fire. After all the men have been Served, the sergeant fills the officers’ tin dishes and carries them to where they are waiting. That is all the extra service they get. It is the same with the marines. It is a wise government regulation. Tho officer knows what food the men are getting, for ho has
Newspaper Details
Algona Courier
Algona, Iowa, US
Thu, Nov 15, 1917
Page 16
Full Page
Clipped by
Algona L.
NA, 29 Sep 2017
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