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Regular Army “Building an athletic field which will be superior to anything heretofore at Schofield Barracks has been the principal mission, other than training, of the 19th Infantry Regiment during the last past 12 months. A quarter mile track encircles a drained and graded football field which is now being sodded with Bermuda grass. Jumping pits are between the barracks and the tracks. Beyond is a baseball field (Chickamauga Field) with concrete grandstand and dugouts and a regulation diamond with a graded and sodded field more than 400 feet deep from the plate.” These excerpts were taken from the “Horse Show, Hawaiian Division 1933” program. The athletic program created by the Hawaiian Department was incredible and deeply set with its sporting principals. Since it was the principal mission of independent Regiments to build athletic training establishments, the seriousness of this mission was carried through. During the “Golden Years” no other military establishment of the United States was quite like that of the Hawaiian Department. Each Regiment on Schofield Barracks had their own athletic training fields. The other island posts like Fort Armstrong had track and fields, tennis courts and baseball fields. The favorable tropical weather conditions of the Hawaiian Islands offered year round opportunities for sporting activities. It is interesting to note that not a single week passed without some type of athletic event being scheduled. An Athletic Board was appointed by the Hawaiian Department at Schofield Barracks for the supervision of all athletic activities on February 1st, 1923. Members of this board were attached to the Provisional Athletic Training Company. These officers honed down on the finer athletic qualities of the athletes. Considerable special treatment was provided to these “Jocks”. Major General Charles P. Summerall, commanded the Hawaiian Department from August 5th, 1921 and supported the idea of “Special Duty”. In July of 1923 Commanding General Summerall announced his policy on the subject, “It is the duty of the lower echelons to train and to furnish men for the higher echelons and that good men, capable of performing their duties should be selected, that such men represent their organizations and their organizations would be judged by the manner of the performance of such duty. Also that such men should be considered for promotion the same as if they were present with the organization.” This policy surely had to have created havoc amongst the ranks by the Orders was set in stone. It was not until October 7th, 1924 that a revision was made. When Major General Edward M. Lewis arrived and took command in September 16th, 1924 until January 13th, 1925 it didn’t take him very long to recognize the problem. A “Special Duty Classification” was made at Schofield Barracks. Three different classes had to separate the mess which was created by the earlier administration. The classifications were as follows: “Class A, - Those placed on special duty for the afternoon only, Class B, - Those whose special duties take them away from troop training and who are therefore made available for training with their organization until 8:30 am daily. Class C, - Those who are carried on special duty for administration reason only, but whose special duties are a normal part of troop training.”
Twelve years would pass before this privilege class would lose their free ride from the typically shared fatigue duties of its peers. On March 19th, 1935 Major General Hugh A. Drum commanded the Hawaiian Department. After putting up with these seasoned “Jocks” and their self serving agenda for a year and a half he put a screeching halt to the practice on September 22nd, 1936.
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