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Show 38Tllli:FAtlTRY SHIFT ORDERED TO TEXAS POST Troops Transfer. From S. L Described as Temporary War department officials in Washington, D. C, reported Tuesday the 38th army infantry in-fantry at Fort Douglas will be transferred to Fort Sam Houston, Hous-ton, San Antonio, Texas, as part of the army's revamped Second division. Department officials made It clear, however, In an Associated Press report, that the transfer was Intended to be temporary. It was explained that as new units were organized, as contemplated, they would be sent to southern training fields and present established estab-lished divisions would be returned to home stations. The report confirmed an announcement an-nouncement In the September issue is-sue of the ajs-my and Navy Register Regis-ter stating the Thirty-eighth infantry's in-fantry's transfer from the Third division. The Register's Item, contained con-tained under army transfer notices, no-tices, also left Infantry headquarters headquar-ters at Fort Douglas. . Order Studied ' Major General Walter C. Sweeney, Swee-ney, commander of the array Third division, with headquarters at Fort Lewis, Wash., In Salt Lake Tuesday on one or two personal matters, said the transfer was listed list-ed under tentative orders he had received from the war department, depart-ment, but said he could not report re-port whether the action would be permanent General Sweeney planned to leave the city Tuesday evening. Brigadier - General Walter E. Prosser, Fort Douglas commandant, comman-dant, said he had received "no of-, ficial information or orders," and that he was unable to comment officially on the report. Gus P. Backman, general secretary secre-tary of the Salt Lake chamber of commerce, said, however, that he made "an extensive Investigation" into the reported transfer after the Item In the Register, and that he "surmised" all but 100 to 130 men would be transferred on or about October 23. May Be Temporary General Sweeney said he was unable to state whether the transfer trans-fer would be permanent and would mean removal of the Infantry headquarters to Fort Sara Houston, Hous-ton, or whether the Infantry merely mere-ly would be In Texas for about four months during the Second division's di-vision's mass winter training program. pro-gram. The war department's announcement announce-ment after General Sweeney's statements clarified this point, however, and Indicated the transfer trans-fer would be only temporary. The war department stated defl- ( Co IHi ud m, r, K li ii ! ) (Coiuma F1v 38TH lilFAIITRY - SHIFTORDERED tcaiaiil tnai Pass Oe nits dates hare not been set for the transfer, but that the army's First division will start its move October 25 from New York and that other divisions would follow In rapid auccaasson. Kelain tsasnst General Pro seer's office, after the war department announcement, announce-ment, stated -an but about 200 men" would leave for San atitmu "as sooq after October 30 as possible," pos-sible," explaining the exact date depended on available transportation transporta-tion equipment. The officers and enlisted men probably will be in the field four or five months. Present plana call for their families to remain here. Under present arrangements the officers and men will return to Fort Douglas at completion of training maneuvers at Fort Sam Houston." the statement sasot General Pressor pointed out that one brigade of the 38 Ui infantry already baa been transferred to Fort S1U, Oklau, and that some parts of the Fort Sam Houston tores. Including two regiments and part of a field Infantry brigade, wesa transferred recently to. .Fort Warren, Cheyenne. Wyo. He said he could not elaborate on the moves. Te StreasnHna Army General Sweeney, however, reminded re-minded that the army was In a stags of "streamlining," and re-, re-, ported the war department's alms were to "decrease the army In size by SO per cent, but Increase mobility mo-bility 200 per cent and firing ability , 400 per cent." He explained that by "decreasing the size" he meant "bulk, not per-i per-i Sonne I, Inasmuch as President . Roosevelt recently decreed an Increase In-crease to near-maximum peace strength for the military branch of the government during the "limited "limit-ed emergency" created by the war In Europe. General Sweeney said the five army divisions evidently were being be-ing revamped as part of the war department's move to strengthen national defenses. The trend to "extreme mobility," he said, was In line with these alms. |