Evening star., 1919-03-16
Army and Navy News

, officers who have applied for COM
missions in the Army Reserve Ohcers'
I Corps. The personnel division not
only made up the records of these Of
| ficers, but examined every one criti-
| cally, to insure that only those men
personality qualified are rated as Of
ficers without further examination in
case they should be called to the col
ors within the next decade.
In the third class the division placed
all those officers who expressed de-
United States after the announcement
of peace. Thus far $4,000 have been
examined and marked with approval
for permanent commissions in event
of legislation which will authorize
any such number in the perma-
nent Army In the event of the
adoption of sane policy of mill
tary training. the value of these pick
ed and experienced men to act as in
structors will alone more than JUS
tify the course of the personnel divi-
sion.
At the signing of the armistice about
$4,000 officers were commissioned or
recommended for commission in the
Army. OF this total $4,000 have re-
ceived honorable discharge-25O.000 in
Tic w. II. u, ana OV,UVU UdCk 70 civil
life. In the remaining 100000 officers
are the $4,000 selected for commissions
in the permanent Army, if there is
place for them, and the remainder are
not classified definitely, although their
records have been to great extent
under review. SO that the personnel
division will be able to act promptly
when the time comes for action.
Unfortunately. soon after the divi-
sion began to function and before it
had reduced it's machinery to good
running, applications for commissions
with recommendations and papers for
promotions to the number of nearly
5000 come from the bureaus and 9TH
ers from the adjutant generals office
had accumulated. By order of the Sec
retary of War these recommendations
received no action other than suitable
cases to give the applicants commits
sions in the officers Reserve Corp
In every instance the application for
an officers discharge contains a state
ment as to whether he has position
in civil life awaiting him, and wheth-
er if he has not, he desires the aid OF
the federal government to secure SUIT
able employment. An overwhelming
ma ajority have not needed assistance to
make their way. In those cases where
officers seek assistance the Depart
ment of Labor or some other of the
government agencies is placed IN
touch with the case. and few ofncers
if any, who have stated their case,
have been left without opportunity
for positions.
The personnel division in the scheme
of the general staff is coordinate
with those under the immediate au-
thority and direction of the chief OF
military operations. Maj. Cen john
Jarvey.
Shortly after the signing of the ar
q
over what was termed the neglect
of those responsible for it'-lack OF
hospital space for "our wounded ne
roes'' The fact is that there never
was and there never was even a
chance that there would not be ample
accommodation for every soldier re-
turning from abroad in need OF hos
pital treatment. Aside from the insti-
tutions given over to the treatment
of special caSes-such as waiter
Reed Hospital. to amputation cases;
others, to tuberculosis, head and neck
cases. psychic and other cases that
called for special treatment by the
best specialists of the country. there
has seldom been a time when there
was smaller surplus than $4,000
beds at the order of the surgeon gen.
eral.
In the halls of Congress and in pub
lie places the absurd story went
around that the
Hullabaloo Over surgeon general
-, ahd neglected to
Army Hospitals. make prepara-
tion for the care of the sick and
wounded to be returned from France.
Support was given 10 this rumor
through the long -drawn-out agony
of the casualty lists; for during that
period of anxiety no one could give
more than a hope that the list OF
sick and wounded might not be far
longer than it has proved to be. The
difficulties Of handling the greater
than expected number Of wounded at
the outset added to the belief-that
had grown stronger-that there was
no place ready for their accomoda-
ton.
general had ready at all times a safe
margin of unoccupied beds and with
the Increase of the discharges Of the
men who occupied them he has been
closing a very considerable number Of
those hospitals that are no longer
needed. These include ten of the large
base hospitals in the camps or can
tonments and seven of the great gen.
eral hospitals erected for the express
purpose of caring for. cases that arose
abroad. Among these are the base
hospitals at Camps Cody, Joseph E.
Johnson. Logan, Fremont and Beau
regard. and the general hospitals at
Waynesville. n. c.; Hot Springs. Cor
pus Christi. Markleton, Pa: Debarka-
ton Hospital, Richmond, Va: Madi-
son Barracks. N. Y. and Long Beach,
N Y: The War Department is turn
ing these hospitals with nearly 10000
be ds over to the public health service,
which, under a recent act Of Con-
gress. is charged with the care of
discharged men from the Army and
Navy.
The remaining base and general hos
pitals of the War Department have
now available--and that means with