Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-27

- ment which pertains directly TO the
individual American family. Most likely your
own name is in that file. Mothers, fathers,
wives and sweethearts have many occasions 10
write the adiutant general of the Army. Some
write to verify military service; others to es-
tablish claims for pensions, compensations and
medical treatment; others, such as deserted
wives seek support, and the Gold Star Mothers
wish to visit their sons graves in France.
The valuable records of Americas soldiers
are the basis of more than $4,000 communities
tons each day, or 100000 pieces of mail
yearly. Stored within 10000 steel file cases are
true stories of American men who actually lived
stories of daring and valor greater than The
Three Musketeers'; dramatic stories of intrigue,
love SPIES patriotism and grim stories OF muir
der Every conceivable situation in human re-
iationship is represented in the records OF these
millions of men who have fought Tor the stars
and Stripes. For the adjutant general is the
custodian of the personal files Of all men who
have served the United States in any war dur
ing our history.
The oyerf1owing file-trays of the World War
alone if so extended, would reach from the
Capitol to Baltimore, Md Imagine if you can,
a file containing "a 600 600 folders for as many
men and each folder placed end to end The
line would reach from the White House to the
battlefields of France-these are the World War
draft records But that is not all. The entire
records of all wars, approximately 660,OOO,-
600 papers, would more than reach around the
world.
But fortunately for the sake of efficiency these
files are not so inconveniently placed. Perhaps
some of the clerks in the Adjutant Generals
Ofice-the A. c. O.-wish they were. They &C.
cupy, however, several buildings in Washington,
with headquarters in the State, War and Navy
Building but only the headquarters, for it
would take building three times the floor
space of that mammoth building to house this
extraordinary ofice-expanding at the rate OF
800 file cases year. Any A. G. O. girl knows
that letter writing is not lost art but thriv-
ing industry.
IF you have business with the adjutant general
= it would be easier to write letter than to
undertake to walk to the scattered offices Of
this great department, for If all the space
now occupied by the Adjutant Generals Once
was under the roof of one vast building 1t
would take almost seven hours TO walk through
the office.
While the United States Army mail conveys
. highly confidential and important items of Gov
eminent business it also contains much matter
relating to the personal affairs of individual
members of the past and present military es-
Establishments. Humor and pathos intermingle
in these letters. In todays mail there is letter
from religious fanatic. He says: II don't be-
neve in war and murder. heard that fell
low named - killed 300 Germans and got
away with it,"
minister wants to become chaplain in
the Reserve Corps. In his application he says:
IT have been pasturing in the Florida Ever
glades for five years." The daily mailbags al
ways carry inquiries for the whereabouts of
lost men. The parent Of an adventurous boy
wants to know whether bis son has Joined the
Air Corps. The father writes: He is only is,
but big for his age. His name is Archie, but
he is known as Shady. He has purity curly
hair and two gold teeth in front"
There is also the woman who does not for
get She writes: His name is Will Green. VIII
Ii N @ 1Nuu
called him Billy" The quack inventors write
the 'adjutant general, too. You'd be surprised
how many there are. One man claims he has
an electromagnetic continuance that viii kill
every man along 20 miles of the battle front.
The only hitch to this scheme is that it kills
friends and foes alike But If letter writing is
a habit with some people the virtue is absent in
others. Many mother begs the adjutant gen.
eTal to have her son write home. Perhaps he
has been in the Army long time, and is now
at PARKWAY post, but just the same the adj
jutant general sees that the boy writes home.
The payment of millions of dollars to former
soldiers is predicated upon the basic records of
service filed in the A. G. o. The Government Is
constantly spending vast sums for pensions, Vo-
cational training and compensation to retired
and incompactated soldiers These Expenditures
neceSSitate many truckloads of mail from both
official and private agencies to and from the
Adjutant Generals Office.
Thousands of communications are received
from patriotic and military societies, such as
the Daughters of the American Revolution,
American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars
and all organizations whose membership must
be based upon authenticated transcripts from
service records Every communication received,
however insignificant ii may seem, is examined
and filed in the proper mans personal file--to
remain there always.
Even the libraries and motion pictures for
the use of the Army add to the bulk of the
incoming mailbags. The Army is at war with
initeracy within its ranks, and the Army cor
Tespondence schools teach the enlisted men