The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-08-22

shortage OF mlllCaTy ledueISAllp-
but a situation far better than that
confronting the nation when 1t en-
tered the World War.
At that time we had an officers
reserve of 5000, including graduates
of the first two Plattsburg camps.
Today there are more than 100000
officers in the reserve.
Only IS per cent of these men,
however, are assigned to units 81
the reserve. Most Of the others are
attached to the regular army, chief
ly to inactive units.
The reserve would contribute
10000 to $4,000 of the officers re-
ouired for training the first con-
tingent of 100000 draftees under
the selective service bill. If the
three increments provided for are
trained on schedule, 1900 reserve
officers will be called to active SER
vice by October, 1941. The potential
shortage of military leadership be-
comes evident.
RESERVE SET UP
IN 1920
Improved status of the reserve
goes back to the national defense
act of 1920. That act set up the
army in three components-regular
army, national guard, and organized
reserve.
Strength of the regular army
was fixed at 100000 men, a figure
not authorized by Congressional
appropriations until this year, when
the strength was also increased to
375.oOO. The national guard was
fixed at 300 men for each senator
and representative in Congress. APP
preparations for the guard never
permitted it to assume that strength,
and the present Authorized total OF
445,000 is only little more than
half the figure called for.
No size limitation was put on the
organized reserve.
The Reserve Officers Training
Corps was created as the princi-
pal training source for the reserve
officers. A four year course was set
up in colleges.
A two-year basic course is open
to all physically fit male students;
a two-year advanced course is open
to graduates of the basic course.
In the land grant colleges, in
GLIDING most of the state univer-
stiles, two years training is required.
Nearly 500 of these R. o. T. G. units
have been established, with a few
junior units in military schools and
high schools.
Other sources which have con-
trihuted to the organized reserve
are the Citizens Military Training
Camps, the enlisted reserve, the
national guard and World War
veterans.
Veterans are rapidly passing out
of the picture. Around 5000 now hold
reserve commissions.
HERE'S PICTURE
OF TYPICAL OFFICER
The average reserve officer is a
lieutenant or captain about 80 years
old, q college graduate, more than
likely OF an engineering or profess
Eonal school. He possesses in a lin
tied way the fundamentals of one
branch of the military service, and
he has kept his knowledge fresh by
attending an average of three or
four two-Week summer training
periods and by taking part in sys-
tematic program of inactive duty
training.
The reserve is organized into regi-
ments, divisions and corps in the
same territorial zones as the army
and the guard. The unit of admin
istration is the regiment. Each regi-
ment or groupment of two, three or
more has regular officer assigned
as unit instructor.
He acts in an advisory capacity,
supervises conferences held by the
officers and acts as instructor for
army extension courses each officer
is expected to study.
The so-called active training con-
sists of 14-day summer camp per-
1odS. There are two types - the
unit" training camp in which Off
GERS Of the regiment train together