The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-08-16
DATAON SOLDIERS
TO Be COLLECTED
Uncle Sam Creates Special Divi-
sion to Gather Information
About Fighters.
FOR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS

Work VIII Require services OF About
1900 Officers and Clerks for an
Army Of Mil
lion Men.
A plan to enable friends and rela-
tives of soldiers in France to get in
formation as to their welfare as
promptly as possible has been prepared
by Uncle Sam through the adjutHnt
generals Office. Collecting this data
will require for an army of a million
men about 1900 officers, enlisted men,
and field clerks, who will be organ
lied and stationed down through gen.
eral, divisional, and regimental head
quarters, and with each organization
unit of the forces in France. The
service will also extend into the field
and base hospitals, to ports of en-
barkatiOn, and to the camps In this
country where the troops are mobiliZed
and trained. Special training is to be
given to fit individuals for this work.
No system we can devise and oper-
ate, unless we used direct cable from
France, will get information to friends
and relatives of soldiers in France 0s
quickly as soldier can himself dis
patch it by ordinary mall" said Adju-
tant General Mccain in explaining the
plan. "The plan we are working out
Is an extension of the statistical work
n This nfItno should hn tIn6nrStnn6
that it is statistical work performed
by statistical organization and that
some time is inevitably consumed in
getting information through the chan
nels of the organization. We shall
include in the plan the designation of
individuals in hospitals to write post
cards and letters for soldiers who can
not do so themselves. This will en-
able every soldier to get word to
friends and relatives back home as
quickly as possible without cabling.
Special Section Necessary.
While the adjutant generals depart.
ment has always maintained complete
lists of all officers and enlisted men
in the service, it has never been neces,
sary, because of the small size of the
army, to have special statistical di.
vision in the adjutant generals office
charged with the work of keeping in
close touch with all the men so that
information as to the health, safety and
Welfare of individuals might be com.
municated without delay to their rela.
tives. A special section, known as the
statistical division has now been ere.
ated and assigned to this work made
necessary by the great increase in the
size of the army.
Officers for this work will be select.
ed, as are other officers for the ma.
tional army, from men from the vari-
Gus officers training camps commits
stoned in the national army and as
signed to the adjutant generals of
fee.
The statistical division will oper.
ate through main office in Washing
ton and through the organization
abroad with sections assigned to each
unit of the army down to each COM
pany. This will mean that every com,
pany of soldiers will be accompanied
by one or more men who are regularly
stationed with it and part of whose
job 1t will be to know the men of the
company. This man will report to the
regimental statistical division which
will be specially charged with the prep
aratiOn and forwarding of casualty
lists and data as to wounded and Sc.
riously i'll. Information will likewise
be reported as to all civilians accredit
ed with the army. The central divi
sion in Washington will keep in touch
with all the camps in the United States
both of the National Guard and the
national army, and with the regular es.
tablishment of the army, in order that
1t may answer inquiries about any man
attached to the army of the United
States.
Data on War Prisoners.