New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-12-12
best OFFICERS
GOING ABROAD
Those Who Are Qualified Will
See Service on Firing Line

Washington, Dec. 12.-Secretary !,
Baker has announced that the policy
of sending none but the best army !
officers abroad, those who are best !!
fitted physically, mentally and militar- |
lily, had been adopted by the War
Department. Boards now are exam
ming regular army and National
Guard officers. 1t will not be neces-
sary to examine national army OFF,
GERS, the graduates Of the training
camps, for they have already been
subjected to severe physical examina-
tons and have been specially trained
in modern war methods.
Secretary Bakers announcement
follows:
THE secretary Of war announced
yesterday that all general officers of
the regular army and the NATIONAL
Guard are being examined by medical
boards and efficiency boards with the
view of determining the ACCESSIBILITY
of sending them for service abroad.
The conditions of foreign service in
this war are unusually severe, re-
quiring that general officers shall be
not only adequately grounded in mill
tary science and adequately alert
physically to acquire rapidly the les
,
requires, but able to endure pro-
longed hardships.
The determinations of the boards
are impersonal and in the interest of
the success Of our armies and the well
fare both of leaders and men, and
will be affirmed by the department.
This policy will no doubt commend it.
self to the people of the country as
being in the public interest, and even
where it is necessary to deny the OPP
portunity for foreign service to SOL
diers of long experience it will be I'M
derstood to imply nothing in any way
prejudicial to the officers involved.
Boards of this kind have already
found some general officers of both
the regular army and the National
Guard physically disqualified. Such
finding does not in any way reflect
upon the past services Of the officer
or upon his present zeal and willing
ness to make personal sacrifices in
the further service of his country, but
the question to be determined is one
of capacity to perform a highly
specialized and arduous type of serv-
ice"
The action taken is understood to
be in line with recommendations
Scott, all of whom have been study
ing conditions in France. Regular
army officers who are not passed by
the examining boards will be utilized
in connection with the training Of
, troops ana other preparations for war.
! National Guard officers unable to
! stand up under the cNnmiIutions will
! he discharged from the service as Of
! ficerS.
i Secretary I5ukCr also announced
| that commanding officers in the army
| camps had been instructed to mimi
/ mize as far as possible the granting
| of Christmas furloughs to the men
wherever it would interrupt railway
| traffic. He explained that many of
| the men were unable financially to
! bear the burden of going home, and
! that furloughs would interrupt train
| ing. But the secretary explained, the
! dominating reason for the instru ctions
| was desire not to tax transportation
| facilities needlesslv
| Mr.. Baker denied a report that so
per cent of the officers commissioned
| at Plattsburg camp had been placed
| on the inactive list and sent home
! without pay. He said that all men
| commissioned were to be placed on
! active duty and that the vast majority
| of the men commissioned were being
| assigned to such duty. He explained
| that there were some instances where
| men wanted to go home on furloughs.
| some of them on long furloughs, and
+ in the case of these men it had been
| decided to place them on the inactive
| list only while they were on fur
] loughs.