Evening star., 1941-03-19
Harsh Discipline
Is Thing Of Past,
Army Recruits Find
Men Are Not CoddIed,
However; Training Called
More Effective
BY NELSON M. SHEPARD,
Star Staff Corr ndent.

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the job and didn't know exactly
how to refer in his reports to the
Selective Service men under hi
charge. So he appealed to his su.
perior, an infantry major OF the ole
Army.
Should I call these men selectees
or trainees?" asked the college lieu.
tenant.
well" snorted Old Timer, with
a twinkle in his eye, from the way
we're treating them, I'd suggest yor
might call them 'rushees'."
That is sort of rubbing it in, but
said even in jest it pretty well sums
up the approach of the Army to the
men who are coming into its ranks
today. compared with earlier years.
On my first evening in Petersburg
a soldier stopped his car at a thumb
signal and cheerfully gave me lift
into Camp Lee, where 804 Washing
ton SelecteeS already have been
cleared through to Fort Bliss, Tex
We exchanged some remarks about
our individual boot-camp adven-
lures, his of today and mine of %
years ago.
Things Different Now.
"I guess things are different now
said this Pennsylvania soldier of one
months service. When the SER
geant wants some work done here
he turns to bunch of men and says
do you fellows mind cleaning up
around here?" or How about some
of you giving me a hand at this
job?"
They're nice about it, just like
that, no kidding. The fellows out
here don't take to being ordered
around like what I've heard my old
man tell about. But they do the
work just the same, only they expect
to be asked to do it, nice like"
I took that remark with a grain
of salt, but later, running across an
officer of my acquaintance newly ar
rived from Fort Benning, Ga, ]
sounded him out on it. Yes, the
Army's different now. When I first
came into it Well, we've got tt
get little hard-boiled once in 8
while, but there's no more bullying
These are new kind of chaps; al
right, too, but they want to know the
reason why things have to be done
He didn't mean that these soldiers
are being coddled.
AS 1t. Gen. Hugh A. Drum, com.
mander of the 1st Army, wrote in 6
current article: The trainee is not
to be coddled. Nor does he want
to be-"
There will be times when author.
ity will have to be tough, but in
most cases an intelligent under
standing produces effective results
This new Army wants to develop
willingness, enthusiasm, fair play
and a fair division of burdens anC
sacrifices.
Officers Repeat Remarks.
F. Gen. Drums remarks were re-
peated in much the same spirit the
other day by one of the Camp Lee
officers in advising a contingent OF
trainees about Army life.
Among other things he said: "You
won't find the discipline harsh here
unless you want to make it harsh
We want to be fair but we can be
fair and firm together. Obey your
instructions and respect the uniform
you wear and you'll have no trouble
When you fail to do the task assigned
to you, remember you are making it
a bit harder for some of your fel-
lows If you think some of the nom
CONS are riding you too hard, just
stop and ask yourself, honestly, if
you aren't chiefly to blame for it. u
Life at Camp Lee to a trainee is
much like his first few days in
boarding school or college. Some
of the fellows feel right at home;
others are a little homeSick, per-
haps, or are a little slow about
making friendships. Some don't
take to this business of making up
their hunks, as they would have to
do in a military school. Its largely
up to the individual.
The Army is going pretty easy on
them-at least on those who don't
give trouble. From observations at
nine Army camps in recent months,
it seems to me the Army has not
suffered through this apparently
milder form of discipline being in
troduced today. 1t is producing
good results. 1t may puzzle a few
of the old-timers, but one old SER
geant confessed to me today he be-
lieved, after all, the new way" was
perhaps better.
Old Service Defended.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm
not trying to malign the old service
My own experience as a trainee was
with the old 5th Regiment of Ma
rines and later with the I'd Division,
combining Regular Army and Ma
rines. We weren't coddled, but
there's not day of those two years
that carries a single regret.
Yes, life was pretty tough for the
average recruit-tougher by far than
what is in evidence here at Camp
Lee and, for that matter, in the
Camp Lee of the World War. But
honesty compels me to say that
some of our old sergeants were
provoked to deeds of almost homi-
cidal intent. But for every so-called
'hard-boiled' or unsympathetic nom
com, as he would be termed today,
there was a Sergt. "Diddy Box
Bont.
He had soldiered in the Boxer
rebellion in China, served in the
Vera Cruz expedition and had
fought in the Haitian campaign
He was big brother to the older
recruits and a father to the blum
dering youngsters because he had
soldiers great heart. There were
others like him in every company
of the old 5th Regiment and don't
let anybody tell you otherwise
'Diddy Box" Bont died last year
and I doubt If there was q fellow
In our company that wasn't better
man for knowing him.
Perhaps the selectees of today are