Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-14
CAPTAIN TALKS
ON TIE FUTURE
ARMY'S CHANGE
New United States Force Of Soldiers
VIII Become Vast Educa-
iOnaI Institution.

"a recent conversation with Cap
tain David s. Parry, regular army
officer at Camp Grant, brought out
some interesting sidelights on the
problems of reconstruction in the
army and its future functions.
Captain Parry has been in the
regular army for over twenty
years. He has seen service in
every part of the world where the
army has been Due to the fact
that he has served as an enlisted
mani as well as an officer, his views
On the future army are very in
teresting. In discussing the many
changes of the past two years he
said:
Il have frequently heard old
timers in the past few months say
ing, The old army is gone!' Well,
I for one, can say, to a certain de-
gree, that l am glad of it For the
new army that is rising from the
nucleus of the old, will, once it is
going good, be a better one. For
the future army will not only turn
out good soldiers, but send men
back to civil life with a better edu-
cation, better trained, broader
physically and mentally and in
every way a big asset to the COM
munity that absorbs them. We will
be making, not only soldiers, but
citizens of the very highest types.
Compare the army of today with
the Oldtime two or three company
posts of the western frontier 25 or
30 wears ago. Then the only
amusements we had were an occa-
sionaI ball game and the old army
game Of african golf" Today,
with the assistance given the army
by the Y. NJ. c. A, X of c. and
kindred organizations, the man, in
the army has plenty of good, clean
sports, with the best of apparatus,
good grounds, etc The libraries,
reading rooms, shower baths, moo
ern quarters, good food and good
clothing, with best of medical and
dental attention are all develop
mentS of the new army. The very
cheap life insurance given to men,
in the army is but another example
of what is being done for the en-
listed man today. And with all of
this, the army is increasing in mill
tary efficiency as well. The recent
war proved this when America beat
the supposedly greatest military
power of theOworld to a queens
taste. Another thing is the in
creased pay. With a base pay of
$50 per month, running up to
$124.5O, the man in the army is
actually better OFF than the same
man on the outside, when the high
cost of clothing. food, etc, is con-
sidered. Compared with the old
army pay Of $13 per month. the
soldier of today is a great deal bet
ter off.
ITO my notion, however, the big
Improvement is the progress along
educational lines l am not speak
ing of the trade training, but of the
academic courses, now being given
in many posts. l think in the flu
ture the normal occupation of a
permanent army will find them do
ing military things half the time
and educational things the rest of
the,tfme, SO that they will come out
OF the service with an education
and the army will thus become the
West Point of the enlisted man It
Is q great lQea anu VIII prove d Dig
factor in the future business and
social life of the country.
I'VE proved by intensive training
that six months time made a pretty
good soldier and why not apply this
to the future army? Give them six
months intensive training, that is
where needed, and then for the bal
ance of his enlistment period, say.
four hours a day on military work
and the balance on educational
lines. And that is exactly what
the army is doing today. 1t must
be remembered that 80 per cent of
the men who are enlisting are men
who have had from onne nto two
years of service and as a conse-
uuence they will not need so much
military obstruction.
tFThe recent work done at various
universities in France and England
where men were given an oppor-
tunity. to take a special three
months course, showed conclusive