Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-06-23
HOW UNCLE SAM ;:
trains HIS ARMY
System Of Education Unlike
Those Of Other Nations.
REASON FOR 1HEDIFFERENCE

Foreign Theory 10 That Only Small
Part Of Officers Need Technical and
Scientific Schooling, Whereas Amer
lean Idea 10 to Fit an Officer For .
Higher Post at . Moments Notice.
How Uncle Sam keeps the officers
and men In his army up to the top
notch Of efficiency is told in special
report on Education Systems In the
American Army" in the annual report
Of the commissioner of education. The
statement was prepared by Captain
Douglas Macarthur.
mo country in the world has as
complete a system Of professional
scholastic training for its officers as
the United States." declares Captain
Macarthur. This Is due to the IN
herent difference between the military
establishments Of foreign nations and
that Of our own. Their armies are at
all times kept upon a war footing. as
q result Of which they have ample Op-
pOrtunity for the perfect training Of
the personnel in the practical duties Of
the military profession.
I'm such an army the main object Is
to train every man for the efficient
performance of his duties in the grade
which he holds when war comes. A
lieutenant does not dream Of becoming
a captain merely as the result Of war
except as a vacancy is made for him in
the casualties Of battle. Only in the
same way does captain expect to be-
come a colonel: nor would the idea be
tolerated that great numbers Of trained
line officers are to be suddenly trans
ferred to various STAFF positions.
Take Mystery From War.
"Their organizations are founded
upon the theory that there Is nothing
mysterious in the art of war, that tech
meal and scientific training Is needed
by only a small portion Of military
officers and that certain things which
a Napoleon must know every officer
must know and can as readily acquire
entiate Napoleon from other generals
cannot he acquired in any school, not
even in that of war.
such system would be thoroughly
unsound If transplanted to the Amer
lean army. the organization Of which
Is quite different from continental ar
mics. In fact. the most striking feature
in our service is the absence of what
constitutes the very essence of the for
eign esta blishments-that is, great
standing army serving in corps. divi-
sions and brigades. in which the aver
age officer of any grade learns the de-
tails Of his profession by practical
work and the minimum of theory.
Our system Of military education
must therefore differ from that of the
other great nations of the world. 1t
must be such as to educate our officers
SO that they will be able at a moments
notice when the war expansion comes
to perform the duties Of far advanced
grades and to render service in branch
es Of the army. both line and star, in
which they are not commissioned III
time of peace For this reason we
have established progressive system
Of schools designed to teach officers
and men. limited only by their indi-
vidual capacities for its assimilation.
the duty of the man in arms In all
grades from lowest to highest.
Schools Of the Service.
1.-The military educational system Of
the United States comprises: The Miii-
tary academy ut West Point for the
education Of cadets. post schools for
the instruction of enlisted men, garrt-
son schools for the instruction of off,
GERS in subjects pertaining to the per-
Torrance Of their ordinary duties, the
army service schools at Fort Leaven-
worth. Kan. including the Army
School Of the Line. the Army STAFF col
lege. the Army Signal school. the Army
Field Engineer school. the Army Field
Service and Correspondence school for
medical officers: the special service
schools. consisting OF the Engineer
school. Washington barracks: the
Coast Artillery school. Fort Monroe.
Va: the Mounted Service school. Fort
Riley. Kan: the Army Medical school.
Washington: the Schoul If Fire and
Field Artillery. Fort sill. Okla: the
School Of Musketry, Fort sill. Okla:
the Signal Corps Aviation school. San
Diego Cal: the schoois for bakers
and cooks. Washington barracks. ami
Preside of SAN Francisco: tn" Train
ing school for Saddlrrs and for battrr,
mechanics of field artillery. t0k Is
land an, arsenal: the Sch"ni IF 'n~trn.
ton for enlisted tien nf the rrgua
army selected for detail for ,l,t'
the organized militia the 'r':,
trade schools. the Arm, Wuf ',I
Washington: the >ch,m'lS ut ir~t.'.-
for college students nnd the "i''.
departments OF rivi' HSiii1'
which officers of IN" rus ~.
under the pruvisi"'
DID YOU EVER THINK