The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-07
WOULD REORGAN|ZE RAINBOW DIVISION
Want Famous National Guard Element to Resume Its
 Identity
By COL. WALTER E. BARE

| ht or post No. 1, believes the war depart ment should. and predicts that 1t will reorganlze the Rainbow division l officially the Forty second, by al i lowing the national guard units of l the 27 states from which the division was made up in 1917, to take their 1 former designations or organization 1 numbers and names
 Mir Bales points out that this would mean that the infantry reg 1 iment of Alabama would retake it's designation as the One Hundred and l Sixty seventh infantry; the infantry regiment of Iowa, which was brigaded with the Alabama organization, would retake its designation as the [ One Hundred and Sixty eighth infau- i try, and so on throughout all the ,r- 1 sanizations which went to make up the division originally and all of | these would constitute, just as tn " l did in 1917 and throughout the war, the Forty4seeond division.
 The post commander believes that l if the organized strength of the American Legion were thrown in the balances, this would perhaps contri- bute the greatest single factor to- ward securing authority from the I plan in the national guard organiza- tions interested Accordingly he has l asked me for a detailed statement of | the plan for the news of the Att bama legion.
 1 Personally, I believe that this di- 1 vision should be reorganzed and every effort should be made to se- cure authority from the war depart ment for the following reasons:
 There is considerable desire on t ,e part of various officers and state ad- jutant generals to reorganize state | units which were part of the Forty second (Rainbow) division dur ing the World war, giving :hem their | war designation, thereby preserving the traditions of and perpetuatins the units that served in that division.
 Under the present plan of reorgau- ization of the national guard the des- lignation of the Fortyssecond division was not allotted to any corps area on account of the fact that this di- vision originally was composed of na.
 tional guard troops from 27 different states.
 Under the present plan of organi- zation, several of the corps areas have not received all the divisional troops they would like to have. It Is believed, if the states Chat supplied | units to the Rainbow division were authorized to reorganize these un'ts with the understanding that their | war desi gnation could be used and that their units. in case of an 'emerg- ency would again constitute the Forty second (Rainbow) division, that this division would be one if not the first to complete reorganiza- tion.
 The fact that the proposed addi- | tional units in the several states would not belong to any designated corps or army need not affect the training and instruction, as but very few if any states will have complete divisions at their camps of instruc- tion.
 The organization of composite di- vision would of course, not fit in with the presentaplan or organization so far as the assignment to any designated corps or army, but in case 1 of a national emergency 1t could be used in some capacity.
 In the event of any emergency that would require net more than the use of a combat division in addition to the regular army, this scattered division could be brought into service without calling upon any one state for large number of troops and yet 27 states would be directly interested through their troops, though the economic life of no one state would be | greatly interfered With and yet the call would be met by a completely :. organized tactical unit.
 The reorganization of the Forty second (Rainbow) division is advis- able in order that the services or scattered disvision may be available in case of necessity without drawing too heavily upon any one state | especially so if the services or from l5,000 to 10000 soldiers in addition to those of the regular army, should | be needed for comparatively long period of time--aud yet not sufr- cient length of time to warrant an Increase in the number of tatical units of the regular army.
 It was the intent of Congress to perpetuate this. World war division in so far as practicable.
 The record of the Forty second (Rainbow) division warrents its per. petuation.
 The former officers and men of the
 ty-second (Rainbow) division should be given an opportunity 10 reorganize, in order that they may perpetuate the traditions of which they are so proud
 The reorganization of this division will add to the esprit of the natonai guard and in that much aid in the general national defense scheme. -,,- nAAillN