Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-08-10
ARMY SCHOOL IS
GREATEST OF ALL
MORE THAN 100000 ENLISTED
MEN ARE NUMBERED AMONG
ITS PUPILS.
CANAL FOR IMPERIAL VALLEY
Land Belongs to Government and
Sooner or Later viii Be Opened to
Settlement; Likely to Be ParceIed
Out in Small Tracts.
BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.


BY JAMES p HORNADAY.
WashingtOn.-The worlds greatest
university, in the words of Secretary
of War Newton D. Baker. is the regu-
lar army of the United States. More
than 100000 enlisted men are enrolled
as pupils in its various schools, their
education ranging all the way from
reading and writing to the moss eech-
I meal courses of study. No one in the
army is too young TO start TO this
school.
only recently has the government
taken the view that the army officer is
not too old or too experienced TO step
adding to his military knowledge. The
General Staff college in this city has
just graduated its first class, and next
September another class will be or
ganized to study all the winter in or
der to qualify for diplomas next June.
But the General Staff college applies
itself solely to military problems,
which is not the case with the enlist
ed mans schools. In the latter, the
pupils are taught trades-fOr instance,
In the motor transport corps OneiS ed
ucated as tirst-clasS automotive me-
chanic; in the bakers school, baker
is made, and so on with almost a score
of such vocational training schools.
In the graduating class of the Cen
eral Staff college. there We're twenty
five men who served as brigadier gem
erals in the world war; and fifty 9th
ers served as division chiefs Ct staff Or
similar offices of importance. The
general staff of the army, under new
law, is limited to lightweight officers
and in time all of these will come from
the General Staff college.
Pass Through Three Schools.
There are three schools through
which an officer must pass in order to
qualify as a candidate for appoint
ment to the general staff. THE school
of the line" is the first of these, for
there he is taught the fundamentals of
troop leading handling units the size
of a regiment or smaller.
From the graduates of these schools
are picked the Officer-pupils who may
attend the Army Staff college at Fort
LeavenwOrth, Kansas. During years
training at LeavenWOrth, the officer is
SchOOled in problems affecting the
brigade or division. He is taught how
to arrange the transportation of food
and ammunition to his men at the
front, how to establish and maintain
communication under all conditions of
warfare. Graduation from Leaven-
worth entities an officer TO appoint
ment as an army staff officer, such as
a division commander or aide to such
an officer.
These graduates from the Army Staff
college also are the officers from
among whom are chosen the pupils Of
the General Staff college, TIE most ad
vanced course OF military training
given an officer.
The course of study includes such
subjects as the country's industrial
resources, the procurement of raw
supplies and the potential fighting
strength of the country. The re-
sources of men and material of every
foreign country are studied, as also
problems that would arise in event of
war. All these problems are worked
out to the last detail
General Pershing addressing tie
first graduating class of the General
Staff college, quoted Washington as
saying "to remark to military man
how all important the general staff OF
an army is to it's well-being, and how
essential consequently to the comman-
der-in-chief. seems unnecessary"
How Training Counted.
'In the light of experience" added
Gen. Pershing. II declare without hes
itation that but for the training in gen.
eral staff duties given our officers at
the service schools at home before the
war. and in France during the war, our
successful handling of great masses
of partially trained troops in opera
tions. while at the same time prOvid
ing their enormous needs OF food and
material, would not have been pos
sible."
Secretary Baker, speaking at the
same commencement exercises, refer
red to the 100000 enlisted men en-
gagged in study. and added that the
General Staff college was 1.-The worlds
greatest university It's graduates
the secretary described as the post
graduates of the army schools"
When an officer has completed all of
tie courses Of the various schools and
colleges. it is expected that he will di-
rect the army of the United States in
the best and most efficient manner
possible, whether in war or peace.
Not all of the officers now being
selected for duty on the general staff,
which is being recognized under the
direction of a new law. are graduates
of the General Staff college, but as the
older officers drop out the new staff
will come 10 be composed entirely Of
the products Of what Mr.. Baker re-
ferred to as "the worlds greatest uni
versity." The new organization law
permits officers who during the war
commanded a division CT tactical unit
of similar size-45.OOO men-to be
appointed TO the general staff if their