The Washington herald., 1917-07-31
Army and Navy News
Best Service Column I'm City.

Many retired soldiers OF the army
are now detailed to active duty. After
the war retired. enlisted men detailed
to active duty would revert to their
is to be hoped that the Secretary of
War may receive authority to return
the retired enlisted men to the retired
list with the highest rank held by
them during their war service Many
OF the retired soldiers are married and
have to seek civil employment to add
enough to their retired pay to live on
In comfort. If detailed to active duty
they lose their civil jobs and only get
temporary increase in pay or raise
in rank. When they leave active duty
they will be older, out of a civil job
and under present law would have
only the pay Of the rank held before
being detailed. It would be a fair re-
ward for their patriotism and their
experienced service as instructors II
they We're allowed to retain the high
est rank held by them.
the Marine Corps was 2s,024 on July
"a. There is still need for 1876 recruits
to bring the corps TO its full author
,, lied enlisted strength Of 10000. In ad-
dition to the 2S,024 enlisted men, there
are in service l.O3O reserves, SS5 Ma
tlonal Naval Volunteers and fifteen
retired men on active duty. The fol-
lowing officers are in service: Com
missioned officers. regular, 42S: COM
missioned officers. temporary. As;
commissioned officers, reserve. 4l3;
commissioned officers, National Naval
Volunteers. So; retired officers on
active duty. 43: and warrant officers,
IS. making a total of 1905 commission
ed and warrant officers.
Preparations have been made by the
Navy Department to take possession
of the steamship Havana, of the
New York-Cuba Steamship Company's
fleet, for use as a hospital ship. The
Havana will probably be only the
first of three or more vessels to be
converted to this use to supplement
the activities of the aged L. S. S.
Solace. The navy medical authori-
ties have estimated that at least two
additional hospital ships are urgently
required, and il a third can be OBJ
tained without undue difficulty the
Solace probably would be relegated
permanently to the task on which sh'
Is now enga aged. that OF an ambuIancr
ship between the feet and shore hos
pitfalls. Plans have been made also to
obtain three vessels to be used as ad-
ditional ambulance ships.
''''
In reply to a circular letter sent to
large number of cavalry officers hv
the commandant OF the Mounted Serv
ice School. asking their opinion as tc
the type Of horse for the cavalry. and
incidentally as te what they thought
of the Arab. the following interesting
statement has been forwarded by
Capt. Cyril NJ Scott. Q. ". c. Ccav-
alry), from Manila, where he il now
stationed:
MY impression OF the Arab type Of
horse is exceedingly favorable. My
grandfather. before the civil war.
owned an Arab stallion. Turk, which
he bred to a saddle-hred type Of mare.
These horses were celebrated in the
neighborhood for endurance and kind
ness Of disposition.
MY grandfather presented Gen.
Mcclellan, who was his brother-in-
law, with two Of this type Of horses.
when Gen. Mcclellan then a captain
or lieutenanD was en- route to the
Mexican war. Letters now in the
family. from Gen. Mcclellan. tell of
the hardness and Nduranco Of these
two horses, which he used through
the entire war. My uncle also rode a
horse of this type through the entire
civil war. Today. man in the coun-
try where these horses were bred
states OF his horse. He Is a descend
ant Of Turk when he wishes To
emphasize what a fine strain he has
81 think an Arabian crossed with a
good type of mare would make an
ideal type Of cavalry mount"