The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-12
Step Is Taken Because of Unusual Severity of Serv-
 ice in the Present War
HIGH EFFICIENCY TO BE DEMANDED
 OF ALL IN SERVICE
No Reflection Will Be Cast Upon Those Dropped As Action Is Considered
 Very Necessary

Washington, December Il. All general officers of the reg
 ular army and national guard
 arc being examined by medical
 boards and efficiency boards
 ''with a view to determining
 the advisability of sending them for service abroad.
 In announcing this step late today,
 Secretary Baker said it was necessary
 on account of the unusually severe conditions of service in this war. Commanders for American troops at the fighting front are to be selected only
 after rigid investigation of their physi-
 cal and professional fitness for their task Early announcement of the retirement or discharge of some of the general of ficers is to be expected, as medical
 boards already have reported against
 men in both the regular and national
 guard service.
 The secretary's statement follows: ! The secretary OI war aIllOuuCeu to~ day that all general officers of the regu-
 lar army and the national guard are be- ing examined by medical boards and eff ficiency boards with the view of deter mining the advisabilty of sending them | for service abroad.
 SERVICE UNUSUALLY SEVERE l "The conditions of foreign service in | ,i iai1x 1xy p~
 that general officers shall be not only adequately grounded in military science
 and adequately alert physically to ac-
 oure rapidly the lessons which she new form of warfare requires. htt able to endure prolonged hardships.
 The determinations of these boards
 are impersonal and to the interest of the
 success of our armies and the welfare both of leaders and men and will be affirmed by the department. This policy will no doub. commend itself to the pso- pie of the country as being in the pub l lie interest and even where it is neces-
 sary to deny the opportunity for for | eign service to soldiers of long experi- ence, it will be understood to imply nothing in any way prejudicial to the | officers involved.
 l NO REFLECTION ON SERVICES l Boards of this kind have already | found some general officers of both the regular army and the national guard physically discualified. Such finding does
 not in any way reflect upon the past { service of the officer or upon his present i zeal and willingness to make personal sacrifices ill the further service of his country, but the question to be de- l termined is one of capacity to perform | highly specialized and arduous type of l service"
 | The general officers of the national l guard were taken into the federal 1 service with their state units without examinations of their professional l qualifications. Some of them had seen l service on the border during the guard mobilization and all of them have been
 under observation since the guard was l called into federal service for the war.
 l Most of the present regular army l officers are men of lower rank who l have been given general officers com missions for the duration of the war l only They were selected. so far as I the line officers are concerned. by the same process which is followed with l the nomination of men to permanent l commission in general grades of the army By this process it has been the
 rule that seniority was followed un-
 less the record of an officer forbade this promotion.
 ELIMINATE MANY OFFICERS ! The new order undoubtedly will | eliminate a very considerable number | of general officers, even of the grade 1 of major general It Is understood that | no step will be taken toward the ap- pointment of lieutenant generals As corps commanders until the war de- 1 partment is satisfied with the result of 1 it's weeding out process among the
 majors and brigadier generals. Today's announcement recalls the 1 fact that soon after the outbreak of 1 the war France found it necessary to | shelve a large number of officers of 1 high rank, and that a similar process 1 was followed later in the British serv l ice.
 | Secretary Bakers statement carries i a warning that no appeals from tho boards win be considered. The dead> wood is to be cut out with a firm hand, it is said. and with reliance upon | the hest judgment of the officers con-