The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-02

Cralnlng and operations section or the general staff. Two of the big problems to be tackled are now to overcome the. plain everyday bore- dom of the temporary soldier with out pampering him, and how to put over without too much obvious propaganda-ty doping, an edu- cational program to sell the troops on the necessity of the present emergency.
 General Osborn's appointment to the job came as pretty much of surprise in Washington. His only military experience was as a Red Crsos worker in France in the last war, though he has been mem Der of the Joint Army and Navy Committee on Welfare and Recrea- ! ton for some time. He is 52, was graduated from Princeton in 1910. From 1914 to 1917 he was vice presi- Toledo and 1ronton railway, and after the war he went back to the road for two years as president. From 1921 to 1888 he was partner in G. M. F. Murphy anr Company, bankers, and among his other con- nections today is directorship of 1 the Fifth Avenue Bank of New York. His 6 feet inches make him the Army's tallest officer. | MORALE PROBLEM
 GREW WITH DRAFT
 The morale organization which ! General Osborn irherits from Brig Gen. James A. Ulio, who resigned because of ill health, has been en- tirely built since the beginning of the present emergency. The pre- 1940 Army of 135,00O men didn't have to worry much about morale, but the induction of million and half national guardsmen and sell ectees has made it very much of problem indeed.
 The things General Ulio did to keep these temporary soldiers hap py with their lot have been numer- ous, and not much has been spared in the way of expense to get re- suits.
 With the big part of the Army training in the south, it has been difficult for most of the northern CTS to get home, so one of the big efforts was establishment of re- creational areas at well known Te- sorts, where soldiers could spend week ends and leaves seein' the sights and not having to answer reveille.
 Tn the camps themselves, every thing possible has been done to make life enjoyable in off-duty hours. An elaborate program of movies has been booked. Theatri- calls and musical entertainment have been encouraged. Athletics have been sponsored. Post ex- changes have been made almost as universal in their appeal as cor- ner drug stores. Libraries and camp publications have been well stocked and supported. Service clubs for the boys and guest houses for their folks are at all camps of any size at all. And civilian cooperation has been sought and received in every conceivable form.
 CIVILIANS PARTLY
 TO BLAME
 The needless wrangling in Wasn- ington over extension of the one years Selective service has obvious ly been the cause of the current flare-up. Back of that is the sim pie fact that the Army and the civilian population too have not yet been sold on the seriousness of the emergency, the need of the de- fense effort, the all-out characteris- tics of the crisis. What the Army bras shats would probably like to know is how you can have good soldier morale when the civilian morale is as low as 1t admittedly is, with labor leaders dissatisfied, though they have better conditions than ever before, with farm lead-' CTS fighting for still higher pari- ties and resisting price control, with business scared because it can't go on "as usual"
 One idea on remedying this sit- uation is that the morale of the Army can be bucked up to such a point that 1t can be force for dispelling some of. the bloom at home. It is a denocratic army's privilege to gripe-at food, at pay, at officers. at everything. But if even just little pride in the Army could be instilled into the letters which the soldiers write home, it would not only do the Army but the country as a whole lot of tonic good.
 Regular Army officers look for a big improvement of the morale sit- uation during and after the pres ent maneuvers. There the soldiers will have been kept busy, will have lived in the field with their off, cers, will have come to know what real soldering is.
 One of the biggest handicaps the new Army has had to overcome is f,.e Ias,