The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1941-09-05
FEAT u r ES
and are eager to get out o1

~ IS liltSlldolN tiiai
hundreds of thousands Of
men are drafted, Il portion
Of them will remain per
manently dissatisfied How
ever, the reporters state
that at the present time
there is a comparatively low
state of morale among
many men who entered the
service in the expectation Of
beneiiting from it and en-
joying it. The principal
causes Of unrest are these:
/. There is a lack Of ma
tcrial spirit, due TO the fact
that We are not at war, and
our emotions have not been
stirred 70 the boiling point.
As Ernest Dindley puts it,
1T IS like trying TO lnfuse
morale into football team
that has no games schedul
ed Unless we actually go
to war, this phase Of the mo
rale problem will probably
remain unsolved.
2. Many conscrlpt soldiers
lack confidence IN their oi +
iicers. The Army has on It's
roles many officers who
have no concept Of modern
warfare, and who have lit
tie capacity for leadership
or for installing respect and
admiration in the men they
command. The General
Staff, headed by energetic
General Marshall, is said to
recognize this, and is grad
ually wedding out incompe
tents in the commissioned
personnel.
3 Lack of adequate Wea-
pons and other materials
has been a sore point. Con-
scripts couldn't make sense
out of maneuvers III WhleE
broomsticks were used fol
cannons, cans for shells
and IN which ancient truck
were painted, Tank. Nov
however, this deficiency Is
being corrected as arms cut.
put increases. Troops art
getting more and bette,
equipment and by next yeai
many divisions should pos.
sess everything that is need
ed for modern battle.
"A. Most general cause u
complaint, say many, is the
pay given the soldiers. Con
scripts get S2l a month fol
the first three months, and
$50 thereafter. Under q new
congressional bill, pay at
the end Of a years service
will advance 10 SlO. That
amounts to next to nothing
The soldiers must pay fol
haircuts, razor blades, clo-
thes pressing, etc. By the
time necessary expenses
are met. there is little left
for recreation or even the
simplest luxuries of life. As
a result, soldiers have an ex-
tremely difficult time find
ing amusement. The cost OF
giving the privates a fair
wage. so to SIS a month
would amount to relative
~ little, in the light of the
gigantic costs that defense
program involves. 1t is prob
able that laws to substanti-
ally raise the Army's wage
will be introduced in Con
gress.
5. Tied in with made
quate pay is the lack Of OF
ganized recreational facil
tiles. Many major Arm
camps are located IN area
where there are few com
munities. The United Ser,
ice Organizations lGSO
has raised considerabl
money through public sub
scription, but the total pro
duced is far from being suf
ficient to provide amuse-
ment on anything near ths
desired scale. All the re
porters who have inyesti
gated Army conditions, tel
of finding groups Ct sold
ers lettering on street CO.
ners on their evenings off
broke, and with nothing I.
do.
1t should be emphasized
in the interest Of fairness
that a high proportion 0
the Army's enlisted person
mel has excellent morale
Further, in the Navy, al
corps and marine corp
there is no morale problem