Army Needs Experienced Woodsmen and Sawmen, 1917

“Woodsmen and Sawmill Men Still Needed for Forest Regiment,” from the Nov. 1, 1917, issue of The French Broad Hustler. The Hustler, Henderson County’s Leading Newspaper.

Chapel Hill, N.C., Oct. 27—The assistant forester in charge of recruiting has announced that the first two battalions of the 20^th engineer (forest) regiment are now practically recruited to full strength. This not mean that it will now be difficult to enter this very attractive service. On the contrary, enlisting will go on as heretofore. Men familiar with the different branches of the work of logging and running small portable sawmills, such as are found all over North Carolina, are especially wanted. The State forester, Mr. J.S. Holmes, says that he has received letters from a considerable number of men inquiring about conditions and some of them have already enlisted in this regiment, but North Carolinians have so far been slow to avail themselves of this opportunity of serving their country. There are many thousands of young men thoroughly familiar with woods work and the handling of portable sawmills in this State, which is known to have the largest number of such mills of any State in the Union, with the possible exception of Virginia.

Speaking of the reluctance of coming forward, which is perhaps characteristic of us in the South, M.G.E. French of Statesville says:

“It seems to me, if a young man is looking out for his future welfare in the community in which he lives, that the first thing he would do would be to volunteer, and how strong healthy young fellows of military age can feel any desire to hold back and wait to be forced in, I don’t understand; that is, if they attach any large importance to their future, as the people in every community of the United States will be very certain to remember who were the volunteer soldiers, and who were not. If I were of military age, I would not hesitate a second about volunteering—in fact, I would not feel that I could afford to do otherwise. It is always distressing to me to see a strong, vigorous young man stay at home when another boy he grew up with has gone out to offer his life to help win the big fight, which means so much to us, and to every citizen of the Republic.”

Now is the time to enlist. Timber and firewood are badly needed by our armies at the front, and none know better how to get ties, posts, lumber and firewood than the youth of North Carolina.

Applications should be made without delay to the State Forester, Chapel Hill, N.C., or to the nearest recruiting station.