The Benson signal., 1917-11-17
Identity of State Organizations Is
Lost While This War
Lasts.
SUGGESTED BYGEN .PERSHING
Reorganization Wipes Out Identity OF
Some Famous State Regiments
National Defense Act May
Restore 1t After Conflict.

Washington.-War department Off
Gals, general staff officers and army
officers generally frankly admit that
the National Guard, as it was before
the United States entered the war, is
being gradually eliminated, certainly
as far as this war is concerned.
The fact is that since Gen. John
J. Pershing was sent to France de-
cision has been reached to reorganize
the regular army and National Guard
from top to bottom. This decision was
made on General Pershing's urgent
recommendation.
General Pershing's recommendations
were the result Of conferences in Paris
between the American and allied COM
manders, and the new organization fol-
lows closely the lines of the present
French organization, built up after
three years of active fighting.
The recommendations of General
Pershing were an entire surprise to
war department officials and the gen.
eral staff. The latter baked at first,
but ultimately followed the plan rec
commended by the American field COM
manders on the theory that Pershing
was on the ground and in a position
to know what the British and French
have found most effective in battering
their way through the German lines.
That is the whole story. 1t is hard
on National Guard organizations, es-
pecially the crack regiments, whose
members have always taken great
pride in them and striven to improve
and perfect them.
For Keeping Identity.
At the outset the general staff plan
provided for mastering into the fed
eral service state units as such, each
of them to be given a new regular
army number, but to retain it's iden-
tity.
When General Pershing urgently rec
commended that regiments be increased
from 1900 to more than 3,OOO even
crack National Guard infantry regi-
ments, which had been recruited to
full war strength were far below the
required number. AS finally perfect
ed, the new organization provides for
a regimental maximum strength of 1O3
officers and 1862 enlisted men.
This explains why it has been neces-
sary to- merge one National Guard reg
iment with another 1t has been stated
repeatedly that the National Guard
would next go to France. By
combining two Guard units the gen.
eraI staff figured the war department
would have a maximum of men in the
enlarged regiment who had had some
military training and experience.
On the other hand, if the recon-
mendatiOns of governors, senators and
representatives and National Guard
officers were followed sand the ranks
of Guard units filled up with drafted
men from the same states, the ma
jority Of every regiment, with a few
exceptions, would be composed of
wholly unframed men. This would
mean a much longer training period.
AS ,reorganiZed, army experts are con-
fdent the National Guard troops will
be ready for service after a minimum
training period in this country.
Superior Fighting Machine.
However disappointing the new or
ganiZatiOn may be to either National
Guard or regular army troops, Off
cials feel that there can be no doubt
that every officer and man in both
branches, as we'll as those now in the
National army camps, want to see the
most efficient fighting machine pos
sible. Army experts devoted most
earnest study and thought to the reor-
ganization. They think they have per-
fected an organization which has no
superior as q fighting machine.
In the reorganization New York's