The Kennewick Courier Reporter

TO ORGANIZE A
DRILL COMPANY

If Worst Comes to Worst Kennewick is to be Prepared to Do Its Duty

If the necessity comes Kennewick is not going to be found unprepared or lacking in patriotic duty to the country. A movement has been started to 1 company and all those
Men interested in organizing a drill company who are interested in such a movement are requested to meet at the Commercial club rooms at eight o'clock next Thursday evening. Although such an organization will not in any way obligate its membership to military duty should the war be of long duration application will be made to have the company recognized by the government as a home guard.

Men of all ages and boys over 15 years of age will be eligible to membership. It is planned to conduct the full infantry drill in squad, platoon and company formations and to give instruction in both close and extended order. At the start the company will be officered by those who have had military drill but later competitive examinations will be conducted for both commissioned and non-commissioned officers.

The drill will be a fine thing for men of all ages," said F. R. Jeffrey, president of the Commercial club. "Entirely aside from any military significance, it will provide the business man with the very kind of exercise that he needs. It begins to look as tho most of our boys will have to see some military service and those who learn the manual of arms and the marching formations now will be spared a lot of the hardships which must fall to the lot of the rookie in the regular service. When once actively engaged in war nobody can forecast what the ultimate outcome will be and the time may come when it would be a Godsend to this community to have its members trained in the rudiments of military service. It is earnestly hoped that the time will never come when it will be necessary for those who are left behind to shoulder arms to protect our homes, but the spirit of the day is to be thoroly prepared for any eventuality."