Salt Lake Telegram | 1942-02-20 | Page 10 | What Our Readers Think

What Our Readers Think in Editors Editor's Note Contributors to What Readers Thin Think must sign their true tru names and addresses although these will not be published if the writer re re- re quests Short letters will be given preference Draftee Scores Delays Filth at Examination Editor Telegram I am of draft age I am proud to be an American American American Amer Amer- ican and I am able and willing willingto to serve my country in any capacity in which I may be called to serve in this time of emergency However the following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing experience is one which I think should be made public for the purpose se of correcting some of the errors of our ways A short time ago I was called by my local draft board to take the physical examination prior to induction into the armed forces I was ordered to report to my local draft board at a. a m. m Promptly at the specified time I reported About other men were there also We Ve were told that we would have to wait that the board was not prepared for us After a comparatively comparatively comparatively com com- short period of 40 minutes we were herded out of the building housing the draft board into several large army trucks and taken to the reception reception reception recep recep- tion center at Fort Douglas Upon our arrival there we were told to wait but we were not permitted to enter the buildings Incidentally that morning was very cold We stood outside the buildings for one hour in the cold and snow Finally an officer came to us and asked what we were doing there When we told him that we had come to o take the medical examination he told us that we could not be handled at the reception center that we would have to be taken back to t board Again we were herded like so many cattle into the army trucks and driven back to the local draft board When we reported we were told that we would have to be taken taen to another place for the examina examina- tion This time we were taken to the Ness building We waited there in a dirty butt littered hall until our names were called Since another group of draftees was being examined we had to wait until noon before the examination examination examination examina examina- examina- examina tion began Many of us I was one of the first examined from our group waited until long after noon When my name was called I was led into a partitioned partitioned partitioned parti parti- hallway and told to strip There were no facilities for hanging our clothes I placed mine in a corner on the floor which was covered with butts and other waste matter Others did the same thing We all walked on this same dirty floor in our bare feet sat on the same chairs and lay on the same cots cots without any sanitary protection This was an experience I could gladly have gone without To start the new soldier on his way with this type of inefficiency mismanagement and filth is not conducive to good morale for our fighting forces The medical medical medical medi medi- cal men of the army are attempting attempting attempting at at- tempting to stamp out social r disease but such Careless inept t tand and haphazard methods will J surely spread these dread dis dis- 1 eases i I If the rest of the army is as j J loosely managed it is little wonder wonder wonder won- won j der we hear stories stones of poor morale and it is easy to understand understand understand under under- j stand how there could be a Pearl Harbor A Draftee 1