Evening star., 1941-06-29
Reserve Officers Are Plentiful

When the Nation began its prepared
ness program about year ago, brief
inventory showed that 1t was short of
nearly everything, from shoestrings to
16-inch guns. 1t had an ample supply
of plans, it had skeleton Regular Army
and somewhat larger National Guard
force, but even these were inadequately
supplied with equipment and munitions.
In only one important respect was it
abundantly supplied-off1cers.
In the files of the Executive for Re-
serve Affairs, tucked away in a quiet
corner of the Munitions Building, were
the names of some 10000 men, ranging
in age from recent college graduates to
veterans of the first World War and
living in nearly every town or county
of the United States and its insular
possessions. All had received military
training or possessed special qualiflca-
tions which could fit them into some
niche in a vast military machine And
all had been preparing to fulfill, some of
them for nearly 20 years, the task
assigned them last MISUNDERSTANDING
a huge civilian Army of 100000 men.
Minimum of Delay.
The task sounds gigantic and it was.
With the staff of tWo-sometimes three
officers and the miniature clerical force
that occupies the Reserve Affairs Office,
the casual observer would say it was
impossible. In nearly every other
division of the huge War Department
Building, conferences were being held,
specifications were being drawn up for
contracts to be let to feed, clothe, house,
arm and equip this vast civilian force.
Only when it came to furnishing it with
the requisite number of officers of the
proper rank, arm or service was there
a minimum of confusion and delay.
The Reserve Affairs Office had not
known when this day would come, if
ever. but when it came, everything was
ready. AS soon as the camp sites were
selected and the number of officers to
be assigned to each was determined,
the mimeograph machines were started.
Soon orders were on their way to the
nine corps area headquarters with quotas
to be filled before a series of staggered
headlines. Clerks at nine corps area
headquarters Offices for Reserve Affairs
throughout the Nation brought out care
fully kept lists, assiduously maintained
up to date for just this occasion, and
soon the mimeograph machines were
busy again turning out orders for 1t,
Capt, Maj. or Col. Jones, Smith or
Brown to report to Fort-So-and-So for
extended active duty for period of one
year.
Ready for Selectees.
1t was not quite so simple as that,
actually, especially for the Reserve Off
Ger, who had to notify his boss, his
landlord and the gas company, make
hurried visit to the dentist and military
tailor, and, in the brief period allowed
to wind up his affairs, do little cram
ming on those extension courses he had
finished year or two ago. Finally, con-
graduating himself on having finished
these courses, even as recently as two
years ago, he packed his bags, boarded
train and, on the appointed day, at
the appointed camp, reported for duty.
When the selective service army be-
gan to arrive, first in groups, then in
hundreds and later by the thousand
this collective Reserve officer was ready
IN moot II uo cu,oro II, tho ,,ou, orrivoIc
gave them their physical examinations
This does not mean that the remain
der of the Army took vacation Officers
of the National Guard, for example,
either held their commissions when they
were called out or we're commissioned
from the ranks after being mustered
into the new National Army. But there
were only about $1,000 National Guard
officers. The Regular Army list had
about the same number, bringing the
total to about 10000 The tables of or
ganization for an army of / 400, 900 men,
however called for about 10000 officers.
Fortunately, they were available in the
officers Reserve Corps built up over the
two decades since the first World War
BY the middle of this week, between
$4,000 and $1,000 Reserve officers will be
on active duty, making up about 10 per
cent of the entire Army officer personnel.
Because of the preponderance of younger
officers in the reserve, the proportion
among officers of the Junior grades is
even greater Nine chances out of ten, the
next lieutenant or captain you see will
be Reser, officer.
For the first time in its military his
tory, the United States approached .