Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-21
OVER 100000 MEN
IN SERVICE SHORTLY
War Department Considers Issuing
Order Barring Class IA Regis
trants From Volunteering.
OVER 900 VOLUNTEERS NOW
Various Branches OF Armed Forces
Have 16f,553 Officers OF Ali
Ranks-Niorc Than 100000 Regu-
lars In Uniform.

Ranks-Morc Than 100000 Regu-
lars In Uniform.
WASHINGTON. July 2o.-Before the
end Of July the United States will have
its army. $1,000 In the uniform Of the
navy and $4,000 in the uniform Of the
marine corps. total of slightly more
than 100000 in the armed services Of
the nation.
And this vast force of men is being
drawn from civil life without serious
| domestic disturbance and without in
any sense draining the great reservoir
OIL American man power. Moreover, the
men who have been drawn into tho
military establishment, other than the
volunteers. have been selected almost
wholly from class la. True, that class
| is now practically exhausted even with
| the increment due to the inclusion of
all young men who have attained tho
age OF twenty-onc years since the orig
inal registration. but II has been some
what surprising that this classification
mas ylelded so many available soldiers.
1T might be stated in this connec-
| ton. moreover, that a large proDor-
ton OF the volunteers. particularly in
At
la men. and an even larger propro-
ton of the more than 100000 men who
now compose the navy and the marine
corps Navy enlistments from this class
or young men have become so nu-
merous that the War Department IS
now considering an order barring any
Ia man from enlistment in either the
navy or another branch OF the army.
The War Department has made avail
able the figures showing the number
OF men now in the regular army, the
National Guard. the reserve corps and
the National Army. likewise the num-
Der OF men called to service under the
selective service act, and the number
who have been received into the mill
itary establishment as volunteers.
These figures show that On June %
the strength Of the several components
or the army was as follows:
| Enlisted
| Oficers Men.
! Regular army ...... 1865 5l5.4SA
| National Guard -. 1886 l7.441
reserve Corps ...l33,o33 1850
National Army ...... ss+s25
This shows that on that date there
we're 1858 officers in the various
branches of the army and l.s9s.4lo en-
listed men. or total OF 2.o57,osa Of
fcers and men. All National Army Of
hcers are included in the figures for the
| reserve CORPS the far greater mart of
! whom are men holding commissions.
ARMY WILL HAVE
100000 MEN BY AUGUST
However. the total of ss4.ses en-
listed men in the National Army as Of
June "a and the grand total OF 2,o57,-
500 men in the military establishment
| on the same date does not include
| any or the men called to the colors
either in June or in July. In June,
.s2.Soi' and in July, 3S9,646 men, or
total OF $4,000. were called under
the selective service act. Not all OF
them will be placed in uniform mas
much as the final physical examination
VIII weed out many who may have
originally qualified. but it is safe to
assume that more than 100000 OF them
Will be held for training which vii,
| bring the army on August /. up to
the 100000 mark.
A total Of ST. calls were issued IN.
der the selective service act from SEN
TENDER, 1917, to July. 1918. including
that for July 25. The majority OF
these were for small numbers of spe-
cial troops. sometimes only ten or
twenty. a summary OF the aggregate
numbers called to report each month";
since September. 1917. has therefore
been prepared by the War Department.
In place OF the number under each OF
the ST. orders of the provost-marshal
general. This summary is as follows:
September. 296,67S; October. 1854:
November, 1921: December, 2o.a2o:
January. e3.2ss; February s3.77s;
| March. 132.4s4: April. l74,a77; May.
a'S.o63; June. 2s2,354: July. 36e.646.
In other words total of 1.965,354
have been called under the draft, in
Guiding those for June and July Up|
| to and including the May calls, total
OF 1,306!354 men had been summoned
to the colors. OF this number SS49o5|
were sent into the National Army and
something like 100000 more went to fill
the regular army and National Guard
| TO full war strength and TO provide
men for the second and third officers
training camps. Somewhat less than
| 100000 IA men therefore were re-
jected for physical or other reasons
after they had reported for duty.
! While 1t is true that the major part
of the present army of the United
States is made up OF men made avail.
| able under the selective- service act
the fact remains that straight volun-
teers compose by far the larger
strength of the regular army and the
National Guard. When originally form
ed, both of these services were m.do
up of volunteers. and strenuous efforts
were made 10 ill all of their units to
war strength by the same system. but
| this was not possible within the time
given.
| Enlistments have proceeded, how
ever, just as before the war, and the
records Of the War Department show
that a total of S4i.15o volunteers wcrc
! in the armed forces on June "a This