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Show Cp. Williams To be Used For Training j Camp Williams, Jordan Narrows, Nar-rows, will be used next summer as a training ground in the use of new type infantry weapons, when the 96th infantry division, organized reserve corps, begins training. According to an official release, components for six states will begin training July 8. The 96th division has an authorized cadre strength of 900 officers .and 3000 enlisted men, but its actual strength is classified military information, in-formation, according to Cel. Le Roy Anderson, commanding officer. of-ficer. Col. Anderson, a Montana state senator, Pondera county rancher and one of the late Gen. George Pattern's veteran tank commanders, command-ers, made a brief inspection of Camp Williams Saturday. He was accompanied on his flying fly-ing trip to Utah by his newly appointed chief of 6taff, Lt. Col. Melvin E. Magnuson, Montana state representative and a former form-er Lewis and Clark county attorney. at-torney. Col. Magnuson during World War II trained Chinese for combat under Gen. Joseph W. (Vinegar Jce) Stilwell in the China-Burma-India theater. In event the 96th were called to active duty, the division would receive a minimum of 38 to 44 weeks training, and its numbers would be swelled by 15,000 selectees, selec-tees, Col. Anderson said. The Montana colonels praised the "swift organization of highest high-est caliber Utah men" into the 96th following transfer of half the divisional officers to Fort Douglas last fall under command of Col. H. L. Ostler. Col. Ostler served with Gen. Patton's staff during landings at Casablanca and later, for years, with Gen. Mark Clark in Europe. Col. Anderson participated partici-pated in the St. Lo breakthrough and wound up the war on the bend of the Elbe river, closest among the western allies to Berlin. Ber-lin. The Montanans conferred Saturday Sat-urday with 30 Utah officers, including in-cluding Col. Ostler, Col. Charles P. Lynch, chief of the Utah military mili-tary district, and Col. W. C. Goessling, senior instructor. The division comprises components com-ponents from Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Ne-vada, Montana, Oregon and Washington. |