CITIZEN MILITARY TRAINING CAMP, PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY

The original story was first send to Kevin Howe of the Monterey Herald and then forward to Margaret Davis of Friends of the Fort Ord Warhorse.

CAMP JOHN P. PRYOR
What a treat to read! My father, Ben Cummings, Healdsburg farm boy, born 1908, was signed up by his father for the Citizens Military Training Camp. He was packed off to spend the summer at the Presidio of Monterey as a teenager. His Dad figured it would save a lot in grocery bills. My Dad, an explosives enthusiast, figured he would use his trigonometry to shoot cannons. Wrong!

First question they asked was, "who knows how to drive a team of horses?" Dad grew up in a household with a father who ran a livery stable and stage line. His hand went up. Long story short, he wound up driving the team, others did the cannon work. Dad HATED the job! On the graduation ceremony at the end of the summer, his whole family came down to watch. For the event, a military marching band paraded around the field. And set up in the bleachers with the audience. Then the boys were supposed to parade around the field and in front of the reviewing stand. The horses, wagons and guns were part of the parade. The way Dad told it, when the band started playing, those war horses got excited, and went from a walk, to a trot, to a canter. The gun carriage picked up speed, and coming around the last turn to the straightaway, him sawing on the reins the whole time, and clipped the corner of the bleachers. The whole reviewing stand collapsed, with mass confusion, but no major injuries.

Grand-dad was sure it was done on purpose and was so irate he packed up the family and left Dad stranded in Monterey. Fortunately, the math teacher from Healdsburg High had moved to Monterey, and Dad was able to hit him up for car-fare home.

It would be wonderful if the Monterey newspaper had something about that in the archives.

Earle Cummings
Geyserville CA

A young group of men who signed up for the Citizen Military Training Camp at the Presidio of Monterey for the summer learn just want it takes to drive a artillery team of horses, limber, and gun.

Source: Oakland Tribune July 17, 1938

Click on the below links:

76th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Battalion

The Fort Ord Station Veterinary Hospital (Horse) WW2

Veterinary Corps in WW1

Home page for Leonard Murphy in WW1

U.S. ARMY VETERINARY CORPS HISTORICAL PRESERVATION GROUP

Motto: �Illic est Vires in Numerus� There is Strength in Numbers

�Working Hard to Preserve Our Country�s History wherever it is being lost�

U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Historical Preservation Group is a group of individuals that are concerned about the preservation of the History of the Veterinary Corps, Remount Service and Cavalry or wherever our country�s history is being lost in conjunction with our beloved �Horse and Mule�. There is no cost to join and membership is for life. We believe by uniting together in numbers we will be a more powerful force to be heard. Our membership list is private and only used to contact our members. Email us and become a member.

Greg Krenzelok
[email protected]

FACEBOOK: U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Historical Preservation Group

Click on the below link:

U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Historical Preservation Group