Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 279, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1917 — HEALEY MAY BE A COLONEL [ARTICLE]

HEALEY MAY BE A COLONEL

LIEUT.-COL. GEORGE H. HEALEY MAY GO UP ANOTHER NOTCH SOON. That Lieutenant-Colonel George H. Healey, of this city, may go up another notch on the military ladder in the very near future is anything but a remote possibility, according to advice received from Hattiesburg, Miss., where Mr. Healey is now in command of the 151st Indiana. The following dispatch from the southern cantonment follows: An order from the war department that al surplus officers must be assigned promotions can be made wil have the effect of putting officers from other states in command of some Indiana units. The situation in the 151st infantry is in the puzzle class as a result of this order. The regiment has been in the command of Lieutenant-Colo-nel George H. Healey, of Rensselaer, since he came here. Its commander Colonel Branch, is on the pay roll as the real commanding officer, and is on the surplus list as a colonel without a command. In the opinion of General Williams, the position as colonel of the 151st will be filled by promotion and that means that Lieu-tenant-Colonel Healey will be commanding officer, but how LieutenantkCblonel Healey, will become colonel until Colonel Branch is disposed of in some way, General Williams did not know. Should Lieutenant-Colonel Healey become colonel the natural sequence would be that there would be promotions all along the line in the regiment, but there is a surplus Lieuten-ant-colonel in the person of Lieuten-ant-Colonel E. B. Bassett, formerly of the 2rd Kentucky. Under the order of the war department Lieuten-ant-Colonel in the person of Lieutensecond in command of the 151st infantry were Healey promoted, thus shutting off the promotions in the line. It is possible, however, that Lieutenant-Colonel Bassett may be made the commander of the new training camp to begin January 5, and if he is there is an opportunity of promotions in the Indiana regiment.