Salt Lake Telegram | 1934-04-25 | Page 4 | Military Aviation

MILITARY AVIATION 0 SS of how P IO soon and b by what C means the carrying of the tho mail is 35 to be 4 returned to private carriers carders the fact remains I that the purpose of having an air service in our military establishment is the creation and training of sk sky soldiers for combat operations offensive or defensive This objective involves the provision of airworthy ships constant de I. I of all technical means and of course training of personnel There al a always s 's has been a Yel very silly attempt t fo sell the American arm army to tile people on ana on an a absolutely false basis As a nation ye we ought to be intelligent enough to face the facts Art An army is a force of fighting men and the United States as as occasion may demand must be pro pre Ii pared to use it either for offense or for de de- rue army itself will not create the oe oc- 5 casion Pire departments do no not st shirt rt fires I and then rush to put thorn out 1 Our war department as a counter counter- I offensive against pacifists is largely to be 1 blamed for the futile effort to build up a false psychology respect to the arm army At least it t has permitted the phoney to blow around the that country every advanced r step proposed for the army is for defense V We WeI c I are arc not in iii Yel very p grave dnn danger er of ever oyer laving having II to line ine 1111 om m l forces to enemies en en- from setting foot on Oil our soil lexI lex- lex I I I ic and Canada are arc the only c countries ozi on our 4 g f training made h by the army is to better botter lit fit it to go wherever it mn may be needed and do the best job of fi fighting it cnn Call do 10 Surely no iio in adult ill iii the countr country cnn can he ed to the contrary l The rhe sudden order to the arm army to take over o tile the airmail exposed man or of its shortcomings lulling back the curtains just It a little showed too that the methods by which out our aircraft were bought were not nIl all they should have been beell It showed also that the thc chief of staff and the chief of the nil air corps failed to deliver deli to the notion nation what it had been saying and said at the time we have been de in our military air service It will be a good thin thing ir if Yashin toll gets ets down to brass tacks in thi matter long ong leforc the arm army mail men turn their emergency job back bauk to private carriers The rhe munitions probe ought to brin bring out the facts regarding the tho technical questions and the money moner involved The war department ought to sense its own shortcomings Prom From there n a fresh start can be made No facts have transpired ing that severe criticism of the flying fling personnel person person- no nel is called for U up at the top there ap ap- pears to be for nn an extra ration of intelligence experience efficiency an and honesty If we are to have n. n mod mod- ern army armr small as the nation deems adequate for its needs its air nir force must be modern and dependable There is munch much more to the IC- IC or of a competent force of air fighters than the training of formations to fly over big cities on special occasions to stage spec spec- jades The airmail situation and the meager dis- dis closures of irregularities in procurement offer the secretary of war nn an unparalleled opportunity opportunity to put the tho whole militar military establishment under the microscope lie He would undoubted undoubted- Jr y n. n lot of foreign matter that should be removed to promote its general health