The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-03-20
Cur NsOyeFnmeRf
How 1t Operates
ARMY AND NAVY
DEPARTMENTS
By william BruSsGrr

THROUGH all history, people
= Have enjoyed, even have heen
thrilled by the sight of marching
men. 1t reflects an inbred lore for
perfection. The deft execution Of
orders. the snap OF obedience to com
mands. excites admiration every
|. where.
To accomplish this perfection
however. requires Imagination as
well as skill, knowledge as well as
discipline. There has to be some
thing done Besides handing man
the drab uniform of the army or the
blue of the navy to make a soldier
or a sailor.
All of this is headed up in divi-
sions of the War department for the
army and In the Navy department
for the navy and the marine corps
Somebody has TO accept responsible
ity as well as exercise authority. So
the general staff of the army and
the general hoard of the navy oper.
ate to maintain the standard of the
services under their jurisdiction.
It is obvious that the adninistra-
ton of the national defense arms
requires more than the training of
men TO march, to click their heels.
to salute, to fire their small arms or
their machine guns or their greater
weapons. They have to have sup
plies, food, munitions and material,
transport for the army, unexcelled
ships for the navy, airplanes for
each. Records have to be kept, le-
gal questions have to be answered,
and engineering problems have to
be solved. And SO there is In each
department offices In general control
OF each whose Job is to see that all
operations are c0-Ordinated within
that service and that there is uni
form Development in accordance
with policies promulgated by con-
gress and within the supply of
money which congress appropriates
for the work. They have duties so
many and so varied that an enumer-
alton of them is impossible in these
columns, but they may be accurately
summarized In the one phrase that
they are designed to provide pretec-
ton for the nation on an efficient ba-
sis.
The army and navy look after
the welfare of their respective per-
sonnet TO far greater extent than
ever has obtained in the manage
ment of civilian organization. The
men who make up the army, the
navy, and the marine corps receive
most complete medical attention
from men of standing in the medical
professions tiil who have matte the
service career
There is probably no more com
plete general hospitals than Those
provided for the service members
and, since the World war, for the
use of veterans. The Naval hos.
pital and Walter tteeti General hos
Idtai, bnth In the Capital sity. are
examples, and II b the belief of pro-
fessional men that treatment In
these service hospitals Is hardly ex-
celled except in very limited mum
Der of Institutions in all the world
And that limited number, be IL
said, are institutions directing their
efforts along specific. as distin-
guished from general, lines.
While thorough consideration and
precision OF action is being dis
cussed, It Is well to call attention
TO the high degree Of excellence
which the services demand In the
supplies they buy. As an instance
of this, tile War department buys Its
annual stock Of pneumatic and solid
automobile tires on contract. Before
that contract Is awarded, the utInest
in testing Is done. That Is not all /:
after the contract is awarded, repre-.
sentatiyes of the army are stationed
in the plant where those tires are
made, and any variation from the
original specifications will not be
tolerated.
1t Is the same with the navy md
the marine corps when sllecifica.
lions are drawn even for tile sm;llI.
est piece Of machinery the require
nents are specific and they are
rigilly enforced. CeFtninly, the gov
ernment gets Its moneys worth In
purchases by the military services
Turn to the corps Of engineers Of
the army: II Is conceded everywhere
that when those officers make n
survey or draw plans. the results
are about rs bou1bproef as II Is pos.
sihie TO nIs4ke them. The Insignia
of the corps Of engineers aa bridge
always makes me feel thar the Ial.
was done ON a basis OF perfRfual
life. for flIInsy construction Is not
known In their tralnlTig.
The corps Df engineers probably
Ii closer to the average section or
community during peace time than
Ii any other phase Of the army or
the nary except as the services e1n
brace enlisted men or officers Frum
every PART Of the country, For when
the government has river or harlaaF
werk 10 do. IL Is the army engineers
ta whom the Job Is FIRST assigned