Show SPEAKER TELLS ANIANS NAVY NOT READY FOR WAR Cowboy Language Used I In South Pacific Area i As Substitute for Code I The US Navy is not prepared for war at the present time Lt LI Commander John R Howett I Intermountain District recruit recruit- recruiting recruiting I ing officer told members of the Kiwanis Club at the groups group's reg regular ular meeting held Thursday of last week at the Hotel Vernal dining room The meeting was conducted by JD Jones club president Mrs Gwenna Bricker played several piano selections Clyde S John John- Johnson son introduced Commander How How- Howett Howett I Ison ett The naval officer declared that destroyers and battleships I IThe are badly undermanned the letter kiter being hardly able to fire i a gun with men on board a vessel which has a normal com com- complement com com- complement of men These are not members of the mothball fleet but are active ships My definition of war he heI I continued is that when the statesmen have lost the peace a condition comes into play which we call war the objective of which is the restoration of peace Today our armed forces are not prepared to restore any any- anything thing I have just come from a ship that is classed as an active vessel in the Atlantic fleet on which I observed a complete I turnover of men in two months This is a dangerous per per- perI personnel I I situation We were unable to maintain a 24 steaming sched sched- schedule schedule II ule at any time during active between Norfolk I IVirginia Virginia and South South America Gunnery practice was so far be be- be below bellow low wartime proficiency that we came to consider a gunnery I practice in which no one was wasI inured injured as a successful practice I Commander Howett stated that the Navys Navy's urgent need is men rather than equipment If Ifan anything an thing he said the Navy had too many highly specialized ed edI I mechanical devices which can can- cannot not be operated er because of f lack of f fA trained A n ner personnel fu He lie l cited i the fact that on his last voyage I the ships ship's radar equipment re reo re- remained inactive because no radar engineer could be assigned to I the thi vessel The imminence of a push but- but torn tom war is a myth he averred I However trained personnel l will willbe willbe be needed for fighting the next I war whether ft l is with or with with- without out a push button with I Commander Howett declared Continued on page 8 I SPEAKER TELLS Continued from page 1 that he could not visualize a fantastic push button war for another 10 or 15 III years at the least The officer disclosed the ad ad- ad adaptability of the average range range- rangeland rangeland land cowboy to the US Naval way ay of life A disproportionate percentage of our sailors come from western inland areas he said i I I Isaid While assigned to the South I Pacific area he found that all i voice radio telephone code was adapted from cowpunchers lin lin- lin lingo go Destroyers were called cows cow straggler ships were termed doggies and command command- commanding commanding ing ships were named punch I ers In closing his talk Command Command- Commander er Howett pointed to the many advantages which the Navy of 0 of- of offers fers young men He was presented with a speakers speaker's certificate from the International Kiwanis organization organization tion |