Evening star., 1937-04-11
CHIEF CHAP[A|N'S
RANK UNCHANGED
War Department Disap-
proves Proposal to Gre.
ate Brigadier General.

The War Department has disap-
proved the proposal that would create
the rank of brigadier general for the
chief Of Army chaplains, the present
incumbent of which Is Col. Alva J..
Breasted.
The department has under consid-
Grafton a proposal to provide increases
in the number Of brigadier generals
OF the staff in order to more fully meet
the present needs for assistant to the
chiefs Of certain Of the branches, and
there is included In that study pro-
posal to accord the rank of brigadier
general to the chief Of chaplains. The
department, it WAS pointed out, does
not favor special legislation in the
interest Of . particular branch, and
for that reason is not in favor of the
proposal.
Brig. Gen. Dana T. Merrill will be
relieved from command OF the 18th
Brigade, Fort Sheridan, ILL.,, effective
June Is, and will be assigned as COM
manding general of the Washington
Provisional Brigade. He will succeed
Brig. Gen. Charles D. Roberts, who
will be placed on the retired list OF
the Regular Army June 30
There were no nominations made
last week for promotion in the Army
Five vacancies exist in the grade
of colonel, to which Lieut., Coils
Arthur E. Wilbourn, Harry B. Crea
Robert C. Cotton, Roy A. Hill and
Charles K. Nulsen, are entitled
When these vacancies are filled, Lieut.
Col. Theodore K. Spencer will be
the senior officer in his grade. There
are seven vacancies existing in the
grade Of lieutenant colonel, to which
Majs. Stuart G. Macdonald, Horace
c. Foster, James Mckay, Stephen
R. Beard, Emmet c. Morton, Edward
T. Comegys and Montgomery T.
Legg are entitled. With the filling Of
these vacancies, Mai James A. Mar
mon will be the senior major Ten
vacancies exist in the grade Of major
to which Capts. Joseph B. Sweet,
William @. Jeffords, jr.; Garland C.
Black, George A. Patrick, Joseph A.
Nichols, Leon L. Kotzebue, Walter c.
Thee, Thomas H. Holmes, Nicholas D.
Woodward and Edgar w. King. Upon
the filling Of these vacancies, Capt
Riley E. McGarraugh will be the
senior captain. No vacancies exist
in the grades of captain and first
lieutenant, the senior officers await
ing promotion to those grades being
respectively. First Lieut.. Earl c. Rob-
bins, and Second Lieut.. Charles F.
Tank.
Navy.
Rear Admiral Charles A. Blakely
now commandant of the Naval Air
Station, Pensacola. Fla, will be as
signed to command a new division of
aircraft carriers that will include the
U. S. S. Yorktown and U. S. s
Enterprise, now due for completion
at Newport News, Va. by May and
September 9, respectively.
Neither of the ships will be ready
to join the fleet before late this year
or early in 1888 In the meantime
Rear Admiral Blakely will be stationed
at Norfolk for duty in connection
with the organization, training, ETC.,
of the airplane squadrens for the
ships. He will be succeeded as COM
mandant of the Pensacol Naval All
Station by Capt. William F. Halsey, jr
The Board of Officers of the Dental
Corps, headed by Capt. Harry E. Har-
vey, which has been directed to con-
vene at the Navy Department on
April 26 to recommend officers OF
that corps for promotion, will be di-
rected to select three officers for pro-
motion to the rank of captain and
seven for the rank of commander
This will be the first selection board
composed Of officers of the Dental
Corps, as the corps now for the first
time has officers Of the rank of cap
tain to constitute members of the
board.