 1st Lieutenant Flag Allen Drewry, Infantry, U.S. ARMY 1928 |
| Notes by MaryCarol ARMY
ID NUMBERS
Feb 1918 - WWI Enlisted in the National Army were given service numbers ranging from 1 to 5,999,999. Prior to WWI, index lists of soldiers by rosters and muster rolls were used. There were only 2 papers with references to his Service/Serial Number. Feb 19, 1924 mentions enlisted number - 1932089 and May 20, 1936 mentions Officer number - O-11170. I also found that I had in my photo collection a little really tiny photo of flag with O-11170 under it. Always wondered if it was drivers license or what. Realize now it was for his Military I.D. Card in retirement years. 1920 Army started Officer Service Numbers with prefix of O (John J. Pershing was given service number #1 - making his number O-1) Between 1920 and 1935, officer numbers ranged from O-1 to O-19999. Flag’s was O-11170. Some famous numbers: George S. Patton #O-2505; Dwight D. Eisenhower #O-3822; Clark Gable #O-565390 “The pay was stagnant, promotion glacially slow - 13 yrs was normal interval between attaining rank of first lieutenant and promotion to captain and some spent 17 yrs before making captain.” - Flag made Captain it in 14 yrs. It was when he went to take physical for Captain in 1932, shortly after arriving at Fort George Wright, Spokane, Washington, that it was discovered just how bad his leg was, sent down to Letterman Hospital in San Francisco for evaluation - declared "unfit for Active Army Duty" - thus retirement. *** Flag had just driven from Fort Benning Georgia to Greenfield and Memphis, Tennessee - across the southern route through Texas and Arizona to San Diego, California - then up all of California to portland, Oregon and on up to Washington State. This was in 1931 Studebaker on old two lane roads. He did all the driving as Pricie had not learned to drive at that time. NO wonder his leg was showing wear and tear. We made almost the same roadtrip in 2009, leaving from Greenfield, Tennessee, taking the same southern route to San Diego - then up all of California stopping in Sacramento area and over to Ft. Bragg - drove on up to Portland, Oregon and then all the way back down to San Diego and again taking the southern route back to Greenfield, with side trip to Pheonix, Arizona. My legs were in terrible stress from all the driving (I had to do almost all of it) and I was in comfy van on well paved highways. |
| ** The 157th Depot Brigade was at Camp
Gordon, Georgia - then to Camp McClellan, Alabama - then back to Camp
Gordon, Georgia. |
| FLAG'S
1931 STUDEBAKER 1931 Studebaker President Eight State Brougham for five - 136 inch wheelbase - 122 horsepower - 60+ miles per hour. World Champion straight eight engine. Six wire wheels and trunk containing fitted suit cases and hat box are standard equipment. Safety glass in all windows. $1,300 -$1500. Studebaker President Eights were top of the line. These were the finest automobiles South Bend built in this decade -- perhaps the best ever. Bodies ranged from roadsters and coupes to seven-passenger sedans, open touring cars and limousines. fast and durable four presidents were driven 30,000 Miles nonstop over 19 days at atlantic city in july 1928, breaking all existing stock-car speed and distance records. In 1929 a president scaled pikes peak in a record 22 minutes, and two more won in class in the brooklands double twelve endurance race. Many indianapolis 500 racing cars used president engines between 1931 and 1937. |
| THE
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE - Colorado West of Denver, the route follows I-70 into the mountains before separating at Exit 233. This portion of the Interstate contains several miles of steep grades with a lot of truck traffic. The 24-mile stretch of highway travelling west and north between the Interstate and the city of Winter Park passes through Arapaho National Forest. The highway winds its way through several switchbacks to cross the Continental Divide at Berthoud Pass (elevation 11,315 feet). Continuing on north and west of the pass, the route passes the resorts of Winter Park and Silvercreek. |
| Mt.
MANITOU SCENIC INCLINE RAILWAY No longer used -Built in 1907. Cable car took people up the eastern face of Rocky Mountain to about 8,600 feet. Shut down in 1990. The steepest section is at a grade of 68% with the average grade just over 40%. Today hikers climb (run) up the road where the cable car used to be. - see photo of Drewry family on the Incline RR in "Fitzsimon's Hospital, Denver, Colorado" section. |
| FORT
SAM HOUSTON, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS *Army Markmanship competition prizes - 1921 - the new 8th Corps Area included Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. It hosted a 1921 match. For the 1921 U.S. based matches, some headquarters gave nothing, while one awarded the 1903-style leg badges with 8th Corps Area impressed on its brooches. The quartermaster general continued to suppy some 1903-style prizes “until exhausted” in 1931. ------------ * Corps Areas of U.S. - Created abt 1920 - 1st CORP AREA = Mass, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut. - 2nd CORPS AREA = New York, New Jersey and Delaware; 3rd CORPS AREA = Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and District of Columbia; 4th CORPS AREA = Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana; 5th CORPS AREA = Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky; 6th CORPS AREA = Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin; 7th CORPS AREA = Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas; 8th CORPS AREA = Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona; 9th CORPS AREA = California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Utah. * Citizens’ Military Training Camp 1921 - 8th Corps Area - Camp Travis, Texas July 15th.Summer 1921. Infantry Journal 18 by United States Infantry Association - page 518 Training Camps for 1921 - “Offering to the youth (men to age 35)of the Nation a month of military instruction and carefully supervised physical training, the War Department has established a number of citizen’s military training camps throughout the entire country. These camps, which are in furtherance of the policy of volunteer military training, strongly endorsed by President Harding. Attendance will be without cost to the candidate. All intruction will be given at permanently established camps by Regular Army instructors prepared to train him in the elementary duties of a soldier. Physical training will occupy a permanent place in the program. No educational qualifications are required, but the applicant’s intelligence must be such as will permit him to understand and obey commands.” |
| 1973
National ARCHIVES FIRE St. Louis, MO. - July 12, 1973 Because
someone, while re-modeling the Archives building, decided NOT to put in overhead sprinkler
system, entire 6th floor of Military Personnel Records Center was
destroyed along with over 16,000,000 military service records. Only 20% of WWI files survived.
Earliest Army records start at 1917. Not
a good chance Flag's record servived, that is why his "Orders of
the Day" found in his soft hand-tooled leather briefcase are such a
gold mine on his Army Career. Most of WWII were lost also, making it not likely that Flag's son, Jim Drewry's
file survived. And for a more recent account - St. Louis had a
flood a few years back and now they are telling Flag's great-grandson, Robert, that his
records have not survived - WHAT is a matter with these Gov
people!!!! |