Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-07
BY DONALD i. CRAIG.

| ~ DOANHAD SAShAOs
To ore who is unfamiliar with the
almost weird possibilities in the opera
ton of the present joint service pay act
it might seem incredible that an officer
of the Marine Corps by performing acts
of exceptional bravery that won for
him not only a Distinguished Flying
Cross but also a Congressional Medal
| of Honor should suffer loss in pay as a
result of those acts.
Yet that strange fact was recently
| brought to light in the Navy Depart
! ment.
1t would probably seem equally in
| credible that a lieutenant Of the Navy
should receive $l38 a year more than
the rear admiral, four grades above
him, in command of a force of 80
destroyers. l cruiser and repair ships,
on one of which the lieutenant was
serving-necessarilyb because of his rank
in subordinate capacity.
Yet that also was discovered quite
recently.
Then there is the instance of a major
in the Army, with a wife and two chill
dren, who is on duty at one of the
larger Government arsenals and who
was recently warned by the local police
that he must stop working on Sunday
when he was engaged in tasks about his
home, made necessary because he could
not afford to have a servant or helper.
This major says that now, at the age
Of 40 years, he does not enjoy "one-
half the comforts" in life that he did
ON his pay as a second lieutenant, when
he was "a years old, before the war.
Situation Declared General.
These are striking examples of a
situation which is declared to be gen.
eral, although usually in a somewhat
less degree, throughout the Army, Navy,
Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Public
Health Service and Coast and Geodetic
Survey.
1t was one morning in January, two
years ago, that a little force of United
States Marines was beleaguered in a
town in Northern Nicaragua. The men
had recently been through heavy fight
and they had suffered severe losses
The commanding officer, the second in
command and nine enlisted men were
dangerously wounded. 1t was impera-
tive that the wounded be taken to
Managua If they were to get the sort
Of treatment that might save their
lives.
A movement over the Nicaraguan
jungle trails with these wounded men
would almost certainly result in attack,
with the possibility of complete destruc-
ton of the little force. Even If such q
column could make its way to the base
In safety, the condition of the wounded
was such that the trip would probably
be fatal to them.
In this situation First Lieut.. Christian
F. Schiltz, q young ohicer Of the Ma
rine Corps, volunteered to undertake
what seemed to be the almost impoSSi-
BILE feat of carrying the wounded men
to Managua by air. The town was sur
rounded by mountains. Even nature
was against him, for at that particular
time the mountains are Shrouded in
low-hanging clouds and mists.
Made 10 Successful Landings.
In the face of all obstacles Lieut..
Schiltz made 10 successful landings in
an airplane on hastily prepared land
ing field" in one of the village streets. |
At each landing and take-off he was
subjected to hostile fire, but neVerthe- |
less, by q display Of remarkable flying |
skill and courage, he continued until |
the task was completed. In addition
to the evacuation Of the wounded men
he brought in a relief commander for |
the beleagured column and ], 400 pounds |
OF emergency medical supplies and pro-
visions.
While Lieut.. Schiltz was thus per-
forming an act beyond the demands of
duty-an act which afterward was rec
ognized by the award of a Distinguished
Flying Cross and Congressional Medal
OF Honor-while he was hazarding his
life to succor his comrades-each flight
upon this errand Of mercy was piling up
evidence by which he was to suffer a
loss of pay.
Here in Washington, at ease in their
swivel chairs behind breastworkS of
leather-bound tones of law" to quote
the words of a fellow officer, men in
the general accounting Office reckoned
tho FTnic nffiaar 1oI
duty in Nicaragua but two months on
the date of the commencement of his
heroic mission. Prior to assignment to
that duty he had been stationed in
Quantico, Va, and there was receiving
rental allowance.
"At the time he performed this act
OF herotSm he was being credited and
paid this rental allowance, but on ac-
count that very act, although he few
an unarmed plane on his trips to aid
his comrades, he was declared to be
upon q status Of field duty because he
had come under hostile infantry fire at
every landing and take-off. AS he was
without dependents the general ac-
counting Office decided that the rental
allowance paid to him by the RESPONSE
BILE diSbursing officer must be checked
against his pay.
Acted According to Law.
while, of course, it is realized that
no one In Congress could have foreseen
this operation of the joint service pay
act of 1922, as interpreted by the valiant
pen-puShers of the general accounting
ONCE, still the fact remains that any
officer who performs an act of bravery
under similar conditions must suffer
loss in his total pay and allowance"
The general accounting Office, of
course, was merely acting in accordance
with the law as it found it. But It is
instances of this kind that have helped
to bring about the condition of unrest
and discomfort" that is officially de-
clared to exist in the Army, Navy, Ma
rine Corps and allied services.
Perhaps even Controller General Nc
Carl will forgive the brother officer of
Lieut.. Schiltz for his rather critical
attitude toward the general accounting
ONCE In this unusual instance
"The present law" says the inter-
departmental pay board, with its many
complications arising from the fact that
total compensation is composed of an
involved mixture of pay and allowances,
with many kinds of prior service count
ed for longevity purposes, which are
not counted for rank, with several base
pays prescribed for each grade, with
the definition and proof of dependents,
and with the numerous resulting de-
Nisions Of the controller general, makes