Journal # 2

 

WWI military training camps

-         http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~worldwarone/WWI/MilitaryCamps/

Texans took an active part in the preparedness program in 1916 and in 1917 approved the declaration of war. The buildup of United States forces on the Mexican border in 1916 helped prepare the armed forces for entry into the war. Texas National Guard officers gained valuable experience commanding, supplying, and maneuvering large units. There was little opposition in the state to the draft, for which 989,600 men registered. Through the draft and voluntary enlistments a total of 198,000 Texans saw service in the armed forces during the course of the war (see THIRTY­SIXTH INFANTRY DIVISION and NINETIETH DIVISION). In addition, 450 Texas women served as nurses. One nurse and 5,170 Texans died in the armed services; 4,748 of the dead served in the army. More than a third of the total deaths occurred inside the United States, many of them as a result of the influenza epidemic of 1918. Four Texans were awarded the Medal of Honor. Military camps established to train men for service were Camp MacArthur at Waco, Camp Logan at Houston, Camp Travis at San Antonio, and Camp Bowie at Fort Worth. An officers' training school, the Leon Springs Military Reservation, was established at Leon Springs. Military training schools for aviators included Hicks Field, Call Field and Kelly Field (later Kelly Air Force Baseqv). Special training was offered at several smaller camps. The Texas State Council of Defense was established to cooperate with the National Council of Defense. Some restrictions were placed on the customary freedoms of speech and press. Each public school was required to be equipped with a suitable flag and to spend at least ten minutes a day in teaching intelligent patriotism. "Give Till It Hurts," "Do Your Bit," "Buy More Bonds," and other slogans found a place in the popular mind. Texans bought Liberty and Victory Bonds and War Savings Stamps and contributed to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other wartime organizations. They also cooperated in the food-conservation program known as "Hooverizing," which included wheatless Mondays and Wednesdays, meatless Tuesdays, and porkless Thursdays and Saturdays; fat and sugar were to be conserved every day. War gardens were planted, and Texas farmers devoted new space to food crops. War industries established in the state benefited temporarily. The war ended on November 11, 1918.

-         http://www.rra.dst.tx.us/c_t/History1/WORLD%20WAR%20I.cfm

 

Mustard Gas

-         Mustard Gas (Yperite) was first used by the German Army in September 1917. The most lethal of all the poisonous chemicals used during the war, it was almost odourless and took twelve hours to take effect. Yperite was so powerful that only small amounts had to be added to high explosive shells to be effective. Once in the soil, mustard gas remained active for several weeks.

The skin of victims of mustard gas blistered, the eyes became very sore and they began to vomit. Mustard gas caused internal and external bleeding and attacked the bronchial tubes, stripping off the mucous membrane. This was extremely painful and most soldiers had to be strapped to their beds. It usually took a person four or five weeks to die of mustard gas poisoning. One nurse, Vera Brittain, wrote: "I wish those people who talk about going on with this war whatever it costs could see the soldiers suffering from mustard gas poisoning. Great mustard-coloured blisters, blind eyes, all sticky and stuck together, always fighting for breath, with voices a mere whisper, saying that their throats are closing and they know they will choke."

-         http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWmustard.htm

-         http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kylet1/gas.htm