The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1917-09-27
DATA0N SOLDIERS
TO Be COLLECTED
Uncle Sam Creates Special Divl-
sion to Gather Information
About Fighters.
FOR RELATIVES And FRIENDS
Work Will Require Services Of About
1900 Officers and Clerks for an
Army Of Mil.
lien 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 adjutant
generals office. Collecting this data
will require for an army of million
mer 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 as
quickly as soldier can himself dis
patch 1t by ordinary MAIL" said Adju.
tant General Mccain in explaining the
plan. "The plan We are working out
Is an extension of the statistical work
Of this Office. It should be understood
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 III 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 d.
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 az the
statistical division, has now been Gre
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 it 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.
This statistical division Is also
charged with the work of handling in
quiries as to prisoners of war-both
prisoners Of war held by the United
States and Americans who may be held
as prisoners In Germany.
The organization Of the statistical
section with each army division will be
completed by having regimental Sec
ton with each regiment. This will be
In charge Of the regular adjutant, as
sisted by the chaplain and detail Of en-
listed men From this regimsntal sec
ton, in direct touch with the men, one
man will be sent to the statistical sec.
ton with the division to which the regt-
ment belongs-thus placing in each d.
visional section a man from each regi-
ment in the division to look after In
quiries about men in his regiment. The
divisional section will maintain touch
with the hospitals and with any de-
tached units serving at divisional head
quarters.
United States Gets plvjdivi.