Evening star., 1931-11-29
BY HENRY CABOT LODGE.

TOR many years the officers and
l. men of the United States Ma
rineS have had an undeniable
4 glamour. Their fine appear
ance, the wide scope of their
activities and their hardihood COM
mend themselves to a people which
values competence and courage. But
it is permissible to say that admiration
for the Marines is not always equaled
by specific knowledge of what it is they
do. Moreover, such knowledge is peril
nent at this time, when suggestions are
being made that the size of the corps
be reduced. And perhaps the best way
of taking a birds-eye view of this
ubiquitous corps is first of all to see
just where its members are stationed.
Perusal of a strength report issued
for the month CT June indicates that
the $4,000 men Of the corps were spread
very thin. There are, for example, 80
separate places in the eastern part OF
the United States where Marines are
stationed. In the West Coast area
there are seven. There are, besides,
eight staff officers, the headquarters at
Washington, five different recruiting
services, nine aviation bases and 10
different schools which must be at
tended. The schools and aviation bases
speak for themselves. Small in num-
pared with the Regular Army, they
are called for duty in SO many different
parts of the world that they must be
trained for every kind of warfare.
Not a Lavish Allowance.
The duties performed at most of the
pests in the United States are those
Of training and guard. At Paris
Island, for example, recruits are taught
the art OF soldering. so that they may
serve efficiently wherever they may be.
| At the New York Navy Yard Marines
perform guard duty. The Navy has
property all over the United States
which is worth many millions. If pri-
| vate banks employ their own guards, 1t
is certainly good business for the
United States to do the same.
| The assignment of so Marines to the
| naval ammunition depot at Hawthorne.
| as those who favor reduction Of the
Marine Corps might wish one to be-
lieve. Hawthorne, New. happens to be
a good place to store ammunition,
because CT the dryneSs of the climate
| and its remoteneSS from population
| centerS. The maintenance of 24-hour
| guard over these valuable and dam
! gefouS explosives includes, not only the
actual number OF men on sentry duty,
! bNO oAoJ SliibA oSCS IIle necessary COOho'
supply men, telephone operators, truck
drivers, etc. If you stop to figure it
out, so men is not lavish allowance.
For 1t Is true of the Marines, as 1t IS
OF the Army, that men in uniform must
perform many non -combatant functions.
In some foreign armies the cooks, sup
ply men, telephone and telegraph oper-
atorS, truck drivers and hospital attend
ants-to mention only few Of the in
/ dispensable auxiliary troops-are civil
ianS. Indeed, in some armies the cooks
are women. When. therefore, one reads
that a certain foreign army has a
strength Of 100000 men, one may as
sumo that this means 100 900 fighters
infantry, cavalry. artillery or aviation.
When it appears that the American
Army has a strength of 10000. 1t -
safe to say that only. about go per cent
OF these represent men whose sole duty
Is fighting.
| 1888 Troops With Fleets.
In addition to the 40-odd posts in the
United States, which by themselves ac-
count for S,507 Marines, there were
1898 troops with the fleets. On "a YES
GELS. including the famous frigste Con-