Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 101, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 May 1917 — GENERAL PERSHING TO LEAD FIRST FORCE [ARTICLE]

GENERAL PERSHING TO LEAD FIRST FORCE

Pick of Regulars To Make Up Contingent Going to Europe Soon—--28,000 Will Be First Force. I; Having proclaimed June 5 the day on which the 10,000,000 men in the country from 21 to 30 years old shall register for the selective draft army, P;csident Wilson tonight issued orders for the dispatch of the first expeditionary force to France. This expedition, which will be sent to tine firing line as soon as possible, will consist of one division of regular army troops—2B,ooo men—and will be under the command of Maj. Gen. J J. Pershing, who lead the American army in pursuit of Villa in Mexico Hast year. The announcement of the decision to place the American flag on the firing line at once was made in the following press bulletin issued by the .war department: “The president has directed an expeditionary force ;of approximately one division of regular troops, under to. proceed to France at as early a date as practicable. Gen. Pershing and staif will precede the troops abroad. ~“It is requesfed”tHat“no speculations with regard to the motilization of this command, dates of departure, composition, or other items be carried' by the press, other than the official bulletins given out by the war department relating thereto.” The division sent to France will consist of picked units of the regular army. Ail the men will be veterans of the service. They will, go into a camp near the front in France, where they will receive intensive training in the most approved methods of trench warfare under the direction of French and British officers. Although it is not permitted to discuss the plans for mobilization and departure, it may be taken for granted Iby the American people that these American troops will be giving an count of themselves in the common cause with their French and British allies before the end of the summer operations. The difficulty of finding ships to transport a division and the arms and supplies it will require has been solved in negotiations with the allies. A certain number of vessels not needed for the transportation of food and war munitions to the allies will be set aside as transports far the expeditionary force.