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Show TRADES IMPORTANT IN THE ARMY It must be remembered that a modern army is a cross-section of our specialized, mechanized civilization and that it rates special spe-cial skills higher than they are rated in civilian life. Most of us think of an army as a group of riflemen, and machine gunners, but right now every executive officer of-ficer is crying for more male stenographers, sten-ographers, teletype operators, business-machine operators, cooks, etc. The same shortage applies to radio men and photographers. When the recruit is interviewed for the information to be placed on his soldier's qualification card, at the reception center, he is asked ask-ed to state his first, second and third best occupations. Later the interviewer begins digging into the man's hobbies to determine skills, talents and interests In order that he may receive further fur-ther training along the lines where he has specific experience or preferences. Those who already have a trade that is useful to the Army are retrained in that work under military conditions. A telephone lineman, for instance, may know all about constructing and maintaining main-taining lines with good poles and elaborate equipment, but in the Army he will be taught to string lines across open country with few tools and with makeshift equipment. "By the same token, the man who was a short-order cook in a roadside diner is likely to be retained at the post mess or in one of the cook's and barber's schools. When he finishes that schooling, he will probably Be a chef and not just a hamburger dispenser. |