The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-01-20

does not purpose to let anyone give
him the raz, and he stands chin up,
hands by his sides, and allows his
eagerness to emanate from him like
an aura. Not for him the carefree,
nonchalant attitude of the civilian,
both hands on the desk and one heel
occasionally kicking up behind. for
he has been an enlisted man in a
branch of the Navy for six months
and knows that for such things as
this does the enlisted man remain
one.
"Why do you want to go into avia-
ton ?" The enrolling officer leans
back in his chair and settles himself
as comfortably as his erect back will
let him, trying perhaps by force of
example to trick the candidate into
unseenly slouchiness.
Because | want to see some action
before this war is over" This IS
the invariable answer, it is generally
the truth Strictly between our
al aspirant to the air service who has
been captivated by the uniform of a
flight ensign and has visualized a
person strangely resembling himself
strolling down Main Street in Navy
khaki. Let action take care of it
self-he knows that gold braid viii
go big on the small-time circuit.
tQuite so. How much math have
you had?"
Arithmetic, algebra, plane and
solid geometry. plane and spherical
trig, calculus 1t is evident that
this applicant knows the ropes. and it
is taken for granted that he knows
how to speak the truth.
There is a little further question
ing about mathematics, however. and
then the examiner breaks in with,
Ever ride horseback"
"Er-no, sir" 1t is a strong tenn
tation to say yes, for how should one
who has only seen airplanes from a
distance know but that firm seat in
the saddle will help man to fly?
"Swim ?" Eyes, sir play base.
ball, tennis, foot-ball?" Yes. sir.
the sir, you will notice. for
the applicant knows that his manner
and bearing are quite as much under
as his athletic prowess.
every we'll; what do you know
about motors p
Right here is where the erage
candidate shines with a glowing eff
fulgence. He has picked cars to
pieces on his fathers country estate,
and smashed them up when rounding
a corner at sixty per, and there Is
little about the intimate anatomy of
a gasoline engine that he doesn't
know by sight, touch, or taste.
The examiner, satisfied on this i'm !
portant point, digresses to mountain
climbing, the state of the weather. life !
in the Navy, beans for breakfast on
Sundays and Wednesdays, the war /
always with the intent of /
prying into the applicants mind, get /
ting his viewpoint. And continually /
ne makes mysterious marks on a Z
blank forn1-filling out the Fitness /
report" which has such vital effect
on ones chances of acceptance, and
which is kept sacred to the eyes of ,
officers and sanity yeomen.
At length the candidate IS dis +
missed and told to fill out his APP
olication blank, which. since it is the
Navy, is not one blank but four (the !
Ultimate disposition of the extra .
copies being known only to the in
ler circle) With the application he
must file three letters of recommen- +
lation, and if these letters have been .
written well, and by persons kindly .
disposed toward him he must have an
aviator's heart and better TO with .
stand the shock of learning the in
ward excellence of his character.
Not a very stringent examination,
7ou will say? Perhaps; but not all T
las been told, and it Is well not to
forget that this man comes to the en-
-ollinp office with a letter of approv-
Il from his commanding officer, or
hat the record of his service in the