The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-04-20


The Navy, the Admiral gravely
warned, Ia facing shortage Of sea-
going ofileerS and sailors 10 man
It's rapidly expanding fleets,
jacobs testimony was eXtraor-
binary In the light OF what other
Navy bra5Shats arc doing Oh this
problem OK Soagoing personnel,
II may sound unbelievable but
" Is Rn absolute fact that these
brasshatB to-day are preparing TO
place on the retired list on June
80 hundreds OF experienced rogu-
lar Navy and Marine Corps OF.
fieors with from 10 10 20 years OF
active service,
On that cay the Navy careers Of
these officers are slated TO come
10 on end Because Of tho great
war need, actually they won't DO
lot out, What viii hapuen Ia this;
They will DO placed on tho re-
tired list and simultaneously re-
called 10 active duty, But as for
as chances for promotion or q
Navy future Ia concerned, they arc
oil washed lip, When tho war IL
over they Will revert 10 retired
status and be dropped,
This ~ nothing new. II has
been going on for years. belecs
tIOn Boards, Eiade ~ OF brass-
hats, have "pas led over" tli0us'
ands OF officers often because
Of some DergGnal pIque against
them or their wives or because,
a. happened several years ago
In the case " q group Of world
famous pilots, they were not
Annapolis graduates.
These officers entered tho Nays
fledgllng air branch during tho
World War, They became the
backbone u this service, pioneer.
Ing many Developments and fets
ting many world records, But
because they did not have the
Annapolis lobel when they be-
came eligible for promotion 10
the rank OF Commander, n selees
ton Board "passed over" every
ono OF them and eafmafked them
for retirement.
Outraged by this GROSS unfe!r.
ness, Congress passed q special
bill 10 save these officers. But the
brasBhatS were more powerful
than Congress They w5nt 10 the
President and got him 10 veto The
bill,
To-day. these officers are gtili
serving their country fl danger
Gus postg--aB "dIsCaFds" who, "
they survive the war, will be re-
tired as q reward" for their BerV-
ice.
"PAsSED OVER" HEROES
Illustrative OF tho kind OF mas.
reminding that characteristics tho
decisions OF these braSshat Belecs
ton Boards IA tho following;
In recent weeks Tho Nation has
been thrilled by tho heroic deeds
OF Commanders Cassln Young, ~.
p. Abernathy and Francis j..
Bridget. Young was awarded the
Congressional Medal OF Honor for
extraordinary heroism during the
Pearl Harb0r attack. Blown oyer-
board by an explosion, he swan
back amidst q hail OF fro and
Coolly Unanswered his ship 10
safety,
Captain OF the Navy Tanker
pecos That WIS sunk by Jap
bomberg III the Battle OF Java,
AboFnathy, after ordering his
crew 10 abandon ship, manned q
fnachinegun on the bridge and
fought or enemy planes sWoopiiig
down 10 fire on his escaping men,
Bridget was cited by llis CONF
inandor for Extraordinary hero.
ism" Ia the bombing OF CaVitc,
during tho Battle OF Manila,
These three gallant officers,
with from IL To. 10 years active
service, were ''passed Oyere by Sc
lection Boards Ia 1910 and lD4i,
and 90 q result were denoted
hundreds OF numbers In tho pro-
molten list.
NOTE While tho Army Chief
OF Staff In 1895, Gen, Macarthur,
teGtlfylng before the Senate Mil.
tAry Affairs Committee, opposed
the establishment Of the Mays
Selection Board promotion system