New-York tribune., 1919-01-06
Soldiers Leave
Morale at Dock.
Says SIaanI&s
conduct OF Homecoming Is
Compared to a Football
Team Out of Training
Officers Most Culpable
Disposition to Rush Into
Print W it h Complaints
Also E vok es Criticism

Officers and men, but particularly
officers, of the army returning from
abroad are severely criticised for lack
of discipline in an open letter issued
yesterday by Major General David c.
Sh&nks. commander of the port of en-
harkation.
General Shanks, who asks the coop
Grafton OF the public in bringing about
Il change, compares the homecoming
army to football team that has broken
training. Many officers. he declares.
were absent without leave the moment
they landed from transports. He said
ne mad now before him many cases of
ofhcers who absentod themselves be-
iore christmas and are still away.
Another matter that has aroused the
IRE OF the general is the tendency cX-
hlbited by officers to "break into print"
with complaints, most of which, he as
serts' are unfounded, and for the most
part made by officers who have had very
nttle service. In at least one instance
complaint was made by an officer who
actually refused to 20 to camp.
Some of the offending officers are
under arrest, awaiting couctmartial,
says the letter, which reads in part:
with considerable reluctance | de-
sire to invite public attention to what
Is, to me at least, a distressing and
worrisome fact, viz, the deterioration
and general Ict-down in discipline on
the part of our officers and men return
ing from abroad.
he record of America in getting to-
gether such an army and placing it in
active service on such short notice is
one that we may we'll be proud Of
Morale Ebbs With Fighting
"But with the close of the war the
spirit OF many of our officers and men
has sadly changed. Perhaps this is
inevitable and unavoidable, for this
same change has affected all other
armies, as welleas our own. 1t CORES
ponds to the change in a football team
when the season is over and the team
breaks training
ut is not my purpose to attempt any
essay upon discipline. The object |
have in view is . practical one-an ap-
peal to the public in the effort to pre-
vent our returning officers and men
from forgetting that as long as thev
wear the uniform and draw government
pay they still owe a duty to the United
States. Some OF our officers on return
ing seem TO forget all obligations of
duty or discipline.
"Of course, it is only natural that
officers ard men who have been long
abroad should be eager to greet rela-
tives or friends. But many of them
chafe at any kind of duty or restric-
ton. Some of them go absent from
the gangplank. | now have to deal
with the cases of some officers who
absentod themselves before Christmas
and who are still absent without leave.
}
some officers is to get their names into
print through complaints of one kind
or another. Not infrcQuently those
VINO complain most loudly have rem
dered the least service abroad One
complaint that has been received is
from an officer who refused to 60 to
camp, and went absent from the sbip's
side.
81 have conferred with General
Gocthals and General March, and thew
have advised that discipline must be
malntained, even at the expense of
bringing to trial some Of those who
are shortly to leave military service
is bad thing for an officer at the
ciose CT ms career to find himself be-
tore court-martial, but something
must DC zone or it is certain that con-
dltons will grow worse"
takes up the matter of press criticism,
and declarcs some published state
ments with reference to docking and
unloading of troop ships arc untenable
Every criticism that has for it's OBJ
lect the improvement or betterment of
the service is Welcomed" he says "bnt
should like to suggest that represent
atlves of the papers should be sure of
the1r 1acts before publication.
For instance, in the case of the La
france, one of oud leading and most
reliable papers stated: The first of the
lighters to take off the men did not
reach the France until several hours
after She had dockcd' And this in
face of the fact that five small vessels,
with total capacity of 1000 men.
were waiting for the France when she
dokcd and 1500 men were taken from
her within two hours after her arrival.
Some sick and wounded officers on
the France, impatient of delay, made
complaint, which was taken up by the
newspaper spoNdents, but no men
tion was made of the faithful officers
and men and Red Cross nurses who
passed their Christmas Eve in the slow
process of removing from the France
220 stretcher cases and cpl insane men,
who naI IN bo 1od off i,, ,I;v;I,,oiI,- -