Evening star., 1940-08-18
Personnel Job Faces Guard
On Return From Moneuvers
Men With Dependents to Be
Eliminated From Organizations

Serious personnel strength problems
are expected to face the District Ma
tional Guard upon return from the
lst Army maneuverS. They involve
the elimination of those enlisted
men with the responsibilities of de-
pendentS, in order to be in readiness
for q call to the colors for at least
q years service. 1t has not yet been
determined when the local militia
brigade will be called into active
training service, as the first indica-
tionS are that the first calls will 90
to units in the far-flung corners of
the Nation.
1t is not likely that the units will
be given much time after the orders
are issued for mobilization. 1t Is
expected that one OF the first mat
terS to be attended tn Is to determine
what men should be discharged.
The Army has made it known that
it does not desire to take into the
field for training and for further
use in preparing the conscripts for
field duty, if that law is eventually
passed by the Congress, those men
who have such responsibilities, in
Guiding financial liabilities assumed,
that they will be unable to meet
them on the pay which they will get
as enlisted men of the Army. The
taking into the field of any number
of such men, it was feared, will Gre
ate an economic situation which
might be quite serious. Further
more, the Army officials point out
that a soldier who is constantly wor-
ried about the conditions back home
is in no condition to put his whole
heart into preparing himself for
service under the most modern con-
ditions of warfare.
While officials are yet unable to
give any figures on the percentage
of the brigade that will be eliminated
by this cause, it is likely that it will
be sufficient to seriously deplete the
strength of the organizations, even
below the so-called National Guard
strength, which is considerably be-
low the peace strength. Among the
group which might be eliminated are
numbers of commissioned off,
GERS who are the backbone Of the
various units, and whose training is
depended upon to carry on the or
ganizations in the field This means
that even when the new men are
enlisted non-commissioned officers
will have to be made, and they will
not have had the training Of many
of the veteran members Of the
Guard.
Oficials realize that the obtain
ing of any large number Of recruits
is going to be quite problem in the
District, In view Of the fact that
it required several months TO obtain
a few hundred men for the increased
units which were authorized for the
guard and for the numbers which
were added to each of the units.
If it is planned to take the local
miltiamen into the service, it was
pointed out that the time would be
soon after they return to camp. after
a preliminary hardening produced by
the field service incidental to the
maneuvers. There was belief that
the militia now engaged on the
first Army maneuvers, which includ-
ed the local contingent of troops,
might not be returned to their home
station, but this probably will be
prevented by the failure up to this
time to pass the law authorizing the
President to call the Guard into the
service. During the current week 1T
will be necessary for those in the
field to make plans for the trans
portation of the troops to their home
stations, and it now looks like these
will be carried out. During the in
terim between completion Of the
present tour of duty and the call
into the field for year-long period
of training will be used for bolster