Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-01-14
Denoted Heroes
by Frederic ]. Haskin

Washington, ID. C., Jan. la.--Thcre /
etil war IN the War Dcpn- tment. Heroc
are no longer falling ia battle, but the,
a-e falling IN rank. and many Of them seen
to lind their falls more painful than TIN
casualties Of conflict. Many man VII,
| took bullet in bis leg with eouanirnit,
seems inclined TO howl like the traditions
wolf when be is bit in the dignity. A
man who haa his bead taken off by :
| German shell probably suffers nothing
but many whose heads are taken of hy
the secretary of war suffer acutely and tel
| all of their friends about it,
Of course this business of iemotinp
| the men who fought their countries
| battles is essentially sad one. II
should not be treated facetionsly. The
shrinking Of btidagier genersl into a
| major is not at all humorous TO the
individual who docs the shrinking, es-
pecially since his pay shrinks at the same
time. But we cannot go on supporting
large corps of generals in time Of peace.
This demotion is bound to take place.
BACK TO rRE-wAn srATus.
Especially delicate is the issue Of rank
among the seventeen thousand officers
who remain in the service, nearly every
a. ]
every one may be depended upon 20 look
upon his reduction as an injustice, 10
look about for other individuals who have
suffered lees IN getting back 10 pre-war
status than has he and to sizzIe with heat
when he finds them. With sask 80
complicated and with the circumstances
under which officers arc assigned 80 differ
ent, ii Is impossible 90 make the reductions
equal, and simultaneous, and so most
officers arc likely TO find cases that lead
them to seeing crimson. Thus it. develops
that there is much unrest in the war
department.
There arc the men who were overseas,
for instance, the officers OF the regular
army who commanded troops and who
deported themselves with gallantry and
credit There are many Of them who had
the wartime rank Of ma jor- general, or
Of brlgadIer general. There arc men who
commanded divisions, even army corps.
They are back in the States nov, and
their commands have disappeared like
snow IN the spring. The duties Of those
days af war are gone for them forever
They arc bark to the hundrun days of
1914 with their assignments Of post duty,
staff duty, and attendance ST. scrvicc
schools.
There Is one considerable group Of
these men who commanded troOps n
France and who were inclined to regard
themselves as entitled to special con-
sideration, which found itself sitting high
and dry rs lone ago os last fall The
hrigadier generals of this group were
reduced % MAJORS. and the major generals
10 colonies, and were ordered to report
to the Army War College
Arriving in Washington. these men
looked about them and found that there
were certain other officers of high rank,
holding staff jobs or bureau Jobs. some
OF them men who had not been overseas
at all. but who were still ENJOYING their
wartime rank and the increased pay that
appertans thereto. SC,rn, of there ofF GERS
accepted the sltustlon pbilosophicalIy.
as becomes one who consecrai4s himself
90 career IN the army, but others con
objected, believed them
selves outraged L IL said Of one such
o.floer that he tore the decorations from
hls heaving chest without - much as