Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-21

promotion hump" a growtf
with which it became afflicted
when some $500 officers were commits
stoned during and Immediately after
the World War. Within few week!
a board of general officers, appointed
by the Secretary of War. will under
take the interesting task of assimilat
ing the ideas expressed by more thar
100 other boards. representing the
Army Corp Areas, schools and over
seas departments. concerning the
problem of how to overcome the iner
tia which now holds thousands OF
young officers from advancing tC
higher rank. The hope of the genera
board is not to discover the unanimous
opinion of the Army on the question
kor there is no unanimous opinion. The
best that 1t can expect to do is to dis
cover the prevailing opinion, and &c
express 1t in the form of recommend
atoms.
The manner of going about reaching
q decision is to some extent a strange
one for the Army. The simple way
would appear to be a study of the
condition by the general staff and a
solution arrived at by mathematical
calculations and hard-boiled efficiency
politely termed "for the good of the
service" But the system Of promo
ton or of retirement in the Army
cannot be changed except by congress
sional action, ana congressional action
in this case will depend upon the views
of the rank and file. if the expression
may be applied without offense to the
commissioned personnel. For it is a
problem in which the human element
predominates, where any line of action
decided upon is open to Interpretation
in some quarters as unjust and dis
criminatory, and where no decision
will meet the unqualified approval of
all those concerned.
Grandfathers Were Lieutenants.
The situation today regarding pro
motion i'll the Army is similar to, but
worse than, the condition after the
Civil War, when the Army's commits
stoned personnel was swelled by a
host of officers commissioned during
the period of hostilities. At that time
promotion was slowed to such an en-
tent that dignified old grandfathers
whose sons even then were graduating
from West Point. remained in the
grade of lieutenant. After the Span.
ish-American War the upward flow OF
officers through promotion was again
Blocked, and in each case time, and
time alone, was the means of loosen.
ing the blockade. But today the con-
enced after either the war between
the States or the war with Spain.
Fifty-eight hundred officers com.
missioned below the grade of colonel
during the World War were placed on
the single Army list Of promotion.
The effect of this bulge. or hump,
caused by inserting $500 officers in
the Army, most of them of about the
same rank. and with their commits
stoned service-upon which their num-
bers in the promotion list are as.
signed-differing only by days, months
and. at the most. a few years. can
readily be understood. While there
are officers at the head of the list of
World War officers who have been
captains since 1917, those at the bot
tom of the list, with only two years
less commissioned service, cannot hope
to become captains before 1888, after
q service of some 20 years as lieuten
ants. Some of those who have been
captains since 1920 must expect to
serve in that grade for the next %
wears. Senior officers Of the World
War group will become majors %
years earlier than those at the bottom
of the group, although only two years
may separate their commissioned serv-
ice. The junior officer cannot hope to
become a major until he is over 90
wears old, an age considered too great
for opportunity for higher advance
nnent. When these Junior of1icers
reach the grade of major. all the nigh
err positions will have been hlled by
officers of only two years more Of COM
missioned service.
The effect of this hump" on the
morale of the younger officers. who
must look forward to endless service
in their present rank, is not to be
discounted. But the effect on the
service itself is even more serious. In
25 wears the World War officers will
fill the ranks Of the Army above the
grade Of captain. But they will reach
the age of retirement about the same
time. On the one hand, their promo
ton to the higher grades will have
been SO tedious, their service in the
lower grades so lengthy, that when
they achieve higher command they
will lack that initiative and incentive
TO lake responsibility which comes only
from steady advancement through the
lower grades.
Wholesale Vacancies.
On the other hand, their service in
the higher grades viii be short. and
they will leave the Army at about the
same time. This will leave vacancies
in the higher commands which must
be filled through a series of sudden
jumps by officers of the grade OF cap.
tain and under. Such wholesale va.
cancies, and the rapid promotion to
fill them, will create confusion and
handicap the service as whole.
The World War officers constitute
in number about one-half the Army s
commissioned personnel. When they
quit the service it will necessitate the
rapid replacement of about half the
officers of the Army.
Much OF the complaint regarding the
present situation has come from the
officers in the Army Air Corps. In adj
dition to the fact that a large number
OF these officers are in the hump.
they have further cause for complaint
over the manner in which they re.
ceived credit for their length of COM
missioned service. A man who entered
An OiIlCeTS ltdtiiIilb camp anu ICCSiNSu
a commission after three months OF
training may be credited with as much
as a years longer commissioned serv-
ice than a man who entered on q
ground school at the same time and
was in training for a year or more be
fore receiving his commission in avia
ton. And a years difference Of com
missioned service will amount to many
years difference in promotion.
Another injustice complained Of is
that World War officers above the
grade of captain and under the grade
OF colonel were assigned arbitrary
numbers on the Army list according
TO age. and not according to length
of commissioned service. For instance
a man commissioned as major in the
National Army was placed on the
ARMY Iist In accordance with the pre-