Evening star., 1941-11-09
By Richard L. Stokes.

slated for retirement because OF age.
| 9th Division (New York;: Maj. Gen.
Edward Martin, 28th Division, Pennsyl-
vania), and Maj. Gen. Milton A. Reck-
ord. 29th Division maryland, District Of
Columbia, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
In this connection there should be men,
toned Brig. Gen. Walter B. Pyron, COM
mander of the Seth Brigade because this
is the only Surviving horse cavalry unit
Of the sort in the National Guard. He
was relieved during maneuverS and as
signed to Washington as an expert on
petroleum products in the Office of
the Undersecretary of War.
OF the seven newly appointed heads
of National Guard divisions, six are
graduates of West Point and five were
listed as colonies in the Official Army
Register published January /. Four are
still brigadier generals, but probably will
be advanced a grade in the next promo
ton list. They are Brig Gen. Russell P.
Hartle, 34th Division: Maj Gen. William
H. Simpson, 35th Division; Brig. Gen.
Fred L. Walker 36th Division: Maj. Gen.
- .
| Gen. Ernest J. DaWley, 40th Division;
Brig. Gen. John H. Hester, 43d Division,
and Brig. Gen. James I. Muir, 44th Divi-
sion. Pyron was succeeded by Brig Gen.
Charles H. Gerhardt, also Regular
Army officer and West Point graduate
Purge Caused Ructions.
The so-called purge" of top-f1ight
National Guard officers did not pass
without ructions in Congress and press.
Texas Senators and Representatives
grumbled over the fate of Gen. Birkhead
and Gen. Pyron, the former an ex-city
attorney of San Antonio and the latter
vice president of the Gulf Oil Co.
But the chief center of disturbance cy-
cloned about the head of Gen. Truman,
an insurance man of Kansas City and
first cousin of Senator Truman.
Gen. Truman, who was relieved Of
command during maneuvers by 1t. Gen.
Ben Lear of the I'd Army, accepted an
appointment as head of its ReclasSifica-
ton Board, but resigned in wrath, ac-
cording to report, when he was for
hidden to attend a farewell parade
planned in his honor by the 35th Divi-
sion at Camp Robinson.
Into the fray rushed Senator Clark OF
Missouri, who won a commission as
captain at an officers training camp in
1917 and brought about his advancement
to lieutenant colonel and then colonel
regiment.
Gen. Lear had wired Senator Clark
that Gen. Truman resigned after "splen-
did and outstanding service" with the
35th Division. To which the Senator
responded:
IF his services were as satisfactory as
you indicate, why did you personally
relieve him of command? 1t is, of course,
| the old Army game, which does not in
| tend to leave a National Guard officer
no matter how efficient, in command of
| a National Guard division.
You are trying to blame the tactical
| defeat which your army suffered dn
| the Louisiana maneuvers) on Truman
| and various other National Guard Off
| GERS, which is exceedingly unfair. You
| should retire yourself rather than make
Gen. Truman the goat
The War Departments Reply.
The War Departments reply to such
| accusations is that the two biggest fish
caught as yet in its rehabilitation net
were Regular Army men and veritable
whales" One was no less parsonage
than 1t. Gen. Daniel Van Voorhis, who
on July 16 was relieved of command
| of the Caribbean defense area and Canal
| Zone and assigned to a housekeeping
| job" at the head of the 5th Corps Area
| 1t is true that he is 63 years old and
had completed the regular three years of
! an overseas tour.
The other is Maj. Gen. Jay L. Bene-
dict, former superintendent of West
Point, who on October IL was relieved
of command of the 4th Army Corps and
placed in charge of the 9th Corps Area.
In addition, it is declared that there
have been changes of command in all the
nine Army corps during the last year,
and that six of the cases, all involving
Regular Army major generals. were due
to retirement or transfer as result of
physical disability. The War Depart
ment finally calls attention to its wide
spread and continuing removal or trans
fer of Regular Army officers of lesser
grades because of age, physical disability
or incompetence at maneuvers.
Himself former National GuardSman
Secretary of War Stimson, at press
conference some days ago, deprecated
the expression purge" in regard to men
who are patriotic American citizens,
and who for many years have been doing
their best 70 prepare themselves to serve