Show intensive preparations by army insure proper accommodations for conscripts by FRANK M DAVIS DA VIS released by western New newspaper union HINGTON D C dashington VAS y adequacy in the P provision ro ir 7 of shelter hospital and sanitation facilities is the keynote in army preparations for the induction of se made available for military service by the burke wadsworth act both the national guard and selective service inductees will be brought into the federal service by increments in order that full preparations may be made prior to their induction by the time any particular group is is i brought in all necessary con fa W f 3 first class private vernon G fleury of the seventeenth signal service company washington D C samples the new C ration issued to the army for field service it consists of vegetable and beef stew which may be eaten either hot or cold biscuits sugar and concentrated coff coffee ee st ruction will have been completed and adequate facilities provided to insure healthful and comfortable living conditions this principle will apply particularly in regard to clothing and hospital equipment the present war department part ment procurement objectives will also insure a f vecient amount of material so mis elhat the training of the new troops can be conducted on the latest and most modern equipment the selective service system of mobilizing the manpower of the nation in case of an emergency has been a subject of continuous study since the last war the idea of selective service which was put into eff effect act at that time proved to be sound and since then all plans have been devoted to smoothing out the wrinkles and making minor improvements in the system the procurement of the manpower authorized by the bur wadsworth it ct is under the control of the dl di R eytor ny tor of selective service appointed zy y the president the director has established a national headquarters and works through the governors of the states who have appointed local boards composed of civilians one board tor for approximately every people these local boards are charged primarily with the classification sifi cation and examination of registrants as to availability tor for service it is felt that members of such boards who are familiar with local conditions who in fact are neighbors of the registrants are much better qualified than any other agency to classify and judge the individuals who should be selected as the representatives of their communities in the army the knowledge which the members of these boards have of each individuals status as to dependents his work or profession and his health will go far toward insuring a fair and democratic operation of the system army requisitions states the army first exercises direct influence under the selective service act in requisitioning the various states for quotas of men to fill necessary military requirements as determined ter mined by the war department when a local board has been called upon by the state in which it is located to furnish a quota of se upon a certain date the board will fill the quota by calling and assembling the necessary number of registrants in the order that their registration numbers are drawn by lot in washington provided of course that the men have been classified as available for immediate military service the local board will give each man a physical examination and will accept for immediate service only those who are physically fit before they are assigned to army units the tees will go through ugh a careful sorting and selecting process during the world war before the problem of sorting manpower was solved considerable time and effort were wasted because men were not properly distributed among the units in accordance with their military qualifications for instance one division was disrupted as many as four times by the transfer of men of certain qualifications to other organizations the confusion and loss of time caused by failure to sort out personnel before assignment during the last war has caused the attachment of considerable importance to this phase of induction at the present time under the selective service act a heterogeneous assortment of manpower will be received by the army the accomplishment of the sorting process before the assignment of the men to organizations will lift a great burden from the tactical units which are concerned primarily with training consequently the local board will send the group of tees it has assembled not to an army training camp but to an induction station induction Induct iou stations important the basic purpose of an induction station is to give a detailed physical examination to the tees formally induct them into the military service and then pass them on to the reception center the induction stations will perform functions similar to those of the ordinary recruiting cr stations and they will be so located as to expedite the processing of the tees approximately of these stations are distributed tri buted throughout the united states it is planned to pass the tees through the induction stations and on to the reception centers the same day that they arrive if they arrive late in the afternoon they will be kept overnight if the induction station is located in a city they will be cared for either at the station or will be lodged in armories or hotels it if any of the men are found to be disqualified by physical KHAKI UNIFORMS BEST LONDON olive drab or khaki uniforms are worn by fighting armies all over the world at the beginning of this century britain discovered that on long marches regiments in red uniforms became fatigued more quickly than those in gray or green because a line of brightly uniformed men tired the eyes of those walking behind moreover they appeared too conspicuously against the landscape I 1 i defects at the thorough examination which will be given at the induction station they will be furnished transportation back to their home towns at that time when they arrive at the reception centers the tees will have their first real contacts with the army their records will be completed uniforms will be issued an opportunity given to obtain government insurance policies vaccinations and inoculations will be administered ered and the men will be carefully sorted and classified for their first assignments in the army each man will be given a general classification test and will then be interviewed by an officer to determine the military duty to which he is best adapted information will be obtained as to the mans age birthplace home parents dependents and education it will be ascertained what foreign languages he speaks if any it will be determined what work he has done in civil life and what previous military experience he may have had if he appears to have been a trained specialist in some branch of a civil trade that fact will be noted he will be given an opportunity to express his choice in athletics bob hobbies and the nature of service he desires this information will give a clear picture of the mans suitability for any particular military assignment sign ment remain three days the tees will remain at the reception center only long enough to be sorted and classified which it is anticipated will require on an average two or three days selective service men are to be placed in regular army units in in national guard units or in replace r 7 f above C battery of the coast artillery maneuver an antiaircraft anti aircraft gun at potsdam N Y conscripts will be instructed in the manipulation of such weapons under the ardys training program tm 0 ment centers the national guard in general will be stationed in large cantonments canton ments or tent camps and in some few instances at regular army posts mainly harbor defense posts regular army units will be in part placed in large cantonments canton ments with a considerable number in per permanent manen t regular army posts replacement centers will generally be placed in some instances in regular army posts and in others in cantonments canton ments or camps in all instances it is expected that the tees will be called only after the actual housing sanitary and hospital facilities which are building or to be built are completed there are two possible systems by which the tees might be trained by the already existing units one would be to distribute them at once throughout the various small organizations companies batteries etc and have them absorb the fundamentals working side by side with the older men the other system would be to segregate them more or less under centralized control while they are put through the intensive period of training in the fundamentals under the supervision of specially qualified instructors the war department has made a careful study of the matter particularly in the light of the developments of the present european war and has decided that the latter method that is keeping them together until they are thoroughly trained in the fundamentals is far superior compared to school the training phases which these men will pass through might be compared to the grade school high school and college periods through which the majority of american youths pass for 13 weeks after joining his organization the will in a military sense be in the grade school phase the training he will receive is designed to harden him gradually without making severe e physical demands at first but developing eventually the ability ability to endure prolonged and arduous physical exertion he will be taught to march use his weapons and care for himself and his means of transportation por tation in the field tactical exercises will be limited to those of the platoon and company at the end of this period the should be thoroughly versed in the fundamentals of the soldier and A typical army camp to which n neophyte soldiers may be assigned is camp dix JV J pictured above which was ivas a training base during the world war extensive construction is being carried on in this and similar army camps throughout the country so that facilities for housing the conscripts will ivill be adequate when the influx begins should be in prime physical condition the so called high school phase will be devoted to battalion thain training which will call for the combined use of the different weapons and equipment found in the battalion it is only when the battalions are well trained that the tees will pass on to what has been spoken of as a college course and participate in regimental exercises and in maneuvers involving the co ardi bated use of the combined arms army improves men not only is it intended to turn out well trained soldiers but it is expected to improve the men who come under army supervision physically mentally and morally judging from past experience the majority of the tees will thrive on the army diet and they will enjoy working playing and living with men from all walks of life who like themselves are known to be strong healthy and intelligent while the well regulated life which they will lead in the army will give them ideas of promptness neatness and teamwork that will make them better citizens after they have returned to their homes military life is expressly different from that to which most civilians are accustomed habits are hard to change and therefore the tees will be transplanted into this new mode of living as easily as possible the army will provide types of amusement similar to those that the has had at home there will be equipment and facilities for the various athletic sports unit teams will be selected to compete with one another and the men will become as enthusiastic rooters for their company or regimental teams as they were for home town teams there will be motion picture shows and service clubs and recreation rooms where the men may listen to the radio read write play games and meet their families and friends the men will use these facilities cili ties after work in the afternoons and in the evenings saturday afternoon is is usually a holiday and on sunday the chaplains will hold services for those who wish to attend arrangements will be made for bus lines to transport the men to adjacent communities which they may visit during the days or evenings they are not on duty the army is going to make every effort to make this year of training not only of value to the country from the viewpoint of defense but also of interest and enjoyment to the men involved the folks at home iome can be assured that their young men will be well cared for and it is believed that in later years year the men who will have been selected for this training will look back on their year in the army as one of the tha most instructive interesting and valuable periods of their growth and development |