Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-08
Air Corps Promotion
Measure Called Unfair

In the edition of The Washington Star
of Sunday. February 3, there appeared
an article on aviation written by Joseph
s. Edgerton.
The article, while accurately reciting
the slowness of promotion OF Air Corps
officers, contains several statements
which may give the kindly disposed
public an erroneous impression.
Mr.. Edgerton urges the passage Of the
Furlow bill, saying that 1t is the only
measure pending which will meet the
situation to the satisfaction Of the Air
Corps people. Admittedly it satisfies
the Air Corps, but is 1t satisfactory to
officers of other branches of the Army?
Unquestionably 1t Is not It Is the most
unfair proposition the Air Corps people
have attempted thus far to impose on
their brother officers. The bill in ques-
ton would promote Air Corps officers
over those in other branches who have
had from to 10 years greater commits
stoned service in the Regular Army.
Many majors of the Air Corps would be-
come colonies and jump some SIS lieu
tenant colonies of other branches
Mr.. Edgerton gives three horrible ex-
ampleS of Air Corps officers who are
suffering through lack of promotion,
namely, LieutS. Doolittle, Hegenberger
and Maitland. It is true that they have
served 10 years without reaching the
grade of captain, but he has failed to
state that Lieut.. Louis B. Knight of the
Infantry, who stands just above Doo-
little on the promotion list, has had
more commissioned service than the
latter and, also, that knight had five
years experience as a National Guard
officer before he joined the Regular
Army: Knight is 81 years of age, Doo-
little Is 80. It was not shown that Lieut..
Roy T. McLamore of the Infantry, who
is the first officer of another branch
ahead Of Hegenberger on the promo
ton list, has had more commissioned
service than the Air Corps officer Just
mentioned, and both officers are the
same age. The readers were not told
that Lieut.. Robert w. Burke of the In
fantry, and just above Maitland on the
promotion list, has had more service
than Maitland and that he was mus
tered out of the service at the end of
the war as first lieutenant and is older
than Maitland. Nor did Mr.. Edgerton
explain that the three Air Corps officers
each receive more than 500 per month
more pay than the Infantry officers just
ahead of them on the promotion list.
We are told that many of the finest
pilots are resigning from the service be-
cause OF sloWness in promotion. Inves-
tigation will disclose the fact that many
Medical Corps officers also are resign
ing from the service. The real reason
Is the insuficiency Of pay, and Air
Corps officers receive so per cent more
pay than the medical officers.
Mr.. Edgerton states that the situation
in the Air Corps Reserve Is just as bad
and for the same reason. The real rea-
son for practically all the Withdrawals
Of Reserve Air Corps officers is that they
are getting too old to fly, and the Air
Corps is quite willing for them to quit.
that the older birds of the regular
Air Corps are drawing flying pay
amounting to from $3.50 to $3.50 per
month for riding in the back seat for
four hours each month. It's a young
mans game, and the old timers have
lost their keen eyesight, sense of bal
arce and, naturally, not little of their
confidence.
The article in question advances the
idea that the Air Corps needs more
rank by reason of important commands
exercised. Not so, for a captain of In
fantry commands $50 men, while the
Air Corps squadron commander has IL
to Is officers and about 100 men under
MN. ana the enlisted men are located
well behind the front lines. The trou-
BILE may be that we have given the air.
plane pilot too much rank already. In
the French army the pilots are cadets.
We have not given the actual pilots too
much pay. Speaking of pay and who
deserves it, etc, should we not give the
lieutenants of Infantry more dollars
than the pilots? Who Is 1t that must
live in the mud, without food and sleep,
among the dead and in the hell Of
thousands of noises made by all sorts
Of weapons? It Is not the pilot of the
airship; tits the Infantryman.
Now. please don't assume from all this
that the officers of the other combatant
branches have q grudge against the Air
Corps. So far as have been able to
learn, they simply desire fair play-they
are willing that those who do the pilot
ing get the extra pay in peace time, but
they cannot see the justice Of being out
ranked by officers who have had 10
years less service.
I might add that the January, 1929,
promotion list shows Lieut.. Doolittle 592
files from his captaincy, and not about
100 as given by Mr.. Edgerton.
WILBUR H. JONES.
------e-~Se@-<--