Evening star., 1942-01-24

training program for pilots, bonn
bardiers, navigators, gunners, OBJ
servers and mechanics. In 1910.
flying officers were being trained
at the rate of 1000 a year. For
1941, this was raised to $4,000
year-and this rate was passed in
November with the graduation of
1900 aviation cadets.
At present, the air forces form
the second largest branch Of the
Army. Current plans for 1912
call for the addition of 10000
aviation cadets per month. BY
midyear, air force strength will
have passed the $4,000 mark, and
will be expanding rapidly.
Through wide revisions in
the requirements, approximately
1000 900 more men are expected
to become eligible for the air
forces.
At the beginning of the war In
September, 1880, we did not pos
sess a munitions industry of any
great significance. We had to
build one. Nearly a billion dol
lars worth of new munitions
plants are now in full operation.
Several billions worth of ad-
ditional munitions plants are on
their way to completion. Among
the % new munitions plants al
ready in operation are some OF
the largest of their kind in the
world.
The billions already spent In
building tank arsenals and pow
der plants, small cities of canton
ments, hospitals and storage
depots will be matched by more
billions as our Army grows.
Goal Is 7,000, 900 Soldiers.
In the maneuvers Of 194l and
In the battles in the Far East
the officers and men Of the
United States Army have meas
ured up to our traditions Of SOL
diering.
Into the immense frame OF our
new Army At the thousands upon
thousands of American soldiers
who were civilians a short time
ago-the wyoming cowpuncher
who is now a pilot in the Air
Corps and the Hartford insur-
ance salesman who Is now q
buck private in the infantry; the
brakeman on the Northern Pa
cific who used to work out of st.
Paul; the student; the school
teacher: the clerk: the man who
ran a newspaper stand in New
Orleans; young men from Maine
and California and the Missis-
sippi Valley. Yesterday compare
lively few American families
were represented in the Army.
Tomorrow there will be COM
paratively few that are not.
More than half the present
Army is made up of men chosen
through the selective service sys-
tenn. Up to December 7, 1941. the
selective service system had reg
istered l7,672,000 men between
the inclusive ages Of 21 and IS.
and around e25. 900 had been In
Quoted into the Army.
A wave Of voluntary enlist
ments was one answer to the
wave of Japanese planes over
Pearl Harbor. To insure the full
est possible supply without taking
essential men from the assembly
lines and the forges, from the
shipyards and the munitions
plants, the Selective Service Act
was amended. The amendment
expands the age brackets for
military service to include 20
year-olds through 44-year-olds.
All men from 18 to "a, inclusive.
are required to register for all
kinds of war work. With the new
law, the United States will be
able to recruit an Army esti-
mated at 1000 900 men.
The Army has come an as
toundingly long way since Is
months ago. Then. as Gen.
Marshall said, Each division
constituted a force which, when
concentrated three or four
months later, would permit one
regiment to train-if all the
other troops Of the division
stayed in camp and loaned their
transportation to that one regi-
ment.
Future Is the Present.
Today the Army is encamped
all along our seaboard, far in
land, at eur overseas bases. and
in the Canal Zone. Our air force
can strike from the mainland
and from our overseas bases
against invaders of our country
or South America. Teams Of air
and mechanical forces have
shown in maneuvers that they
can work together effectively.
Yet, as Secretary Stimson said
Just before the Axis struck: I'm
the light of present world condi-
tions the Army which we are now
training is far from large. Our
total military forces amount only
to a slightly larger number Of
soldiers than were contained IN
the armies of Belgium and Hol-
land at the time when they were
overthrown in a few days by the
might of Germany. We are try
ing to arm them with weapons
Of a better quality than those in
the hands of any other soldiers
in the world, and we are trying
to At them to be not only the
equal of any soldiers but to
serve as the leaders and teach
49,. - tha 1aroo forcee which