The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-09-16

NAANL4AAMl written by Robert Rugrk.)
 BY ROBERT RUARK
 Waterbury Democrat Washington
 Correspondent
 You poor guys who aren't healthy enough to be an ofilcer, but who qualify for limited service in the draft, are now permitted slight recess for loud whoops and the clicking of heels. Because Army has just flashed a bright ray of hope, aimed directly at the 2-B selective service classification.
 Until very recently, no matter how much valuable experience and intelligence might seethe in one bulging craniunn, if the owners eyes didn't measure up to of1cer standards he was out of luck so far as an eventual commission was concerned.
 Selective service, however, wasn't so Squeamish. Draft boards snapped up the weak-eyed one, tabbed him Limited Service" and he was in the Army. Although Joe AstigmatiSm might have been Einstein's uncle, mentally, sergeancy was his ceil- ing, and a -not-so-glorified clerk ship was his fate for the duration.
 But Army has just established three officer training schools, shaped especially for the limited service draftee. There the fellows who are not physically qualified for combat, but who are not sufficiently lame, halt or blind for 4-F', can go to school and come out g commits stoned officers. headed for adminis- trative jobs. They will work as post adjutaflts, or personnel offlcerS, and likely will seep, eventually, into non- combatant jobs in all the vari- ous service classifications.
 Products of these schools which, by the way, are to start classes Oc- tober at Grinnel College, Florida University and North Dakota Agri- cultural College-will be designated as branch immaterial" officers, which is to say they belong to no specified section of the Army, but are available for duty in any ad- ministrative field which does not call for high technical knowledge.
 The idea, of course, is to uproot a lot of seat-polished officers who are fit for active duty, and to replace them with men who can polish the seat just as well, but who wouldn't be at home behind machine gun emplacement. And the new program would seem to indicate that Army isn't taking too kindly to the Army Specialist Corps, which was organized for the same purpose-releasing line officers for field duty.
 ARMY
 RESENTMENT
 Chief difference between Army Administrative and Army Specialist is that the newly formed schools will pluck their candidates from the ranks, while the Specialist Corps was supposed to haul in from civil ian life such men whose experience fitted them for Army administra- tion, but whose age and or physical qualifications entirely immunized them from selective service. It is likely that men from both outfits soon will be working side by side.
 However, the suspicion is that Army never cottoned to the idea of the Specialist Corps; that there was a somewhat natural service resentment toward taking civil ian, arraying him in uniform, and handing him 8 rank that often topped men who had made Army their peacetime career. Many were the pitfalls that gaped be- fore the Specialist Corps, and thick was. the red tape.
 Specialist Corps public relations said today, in a guarded voice, that i've are releasing a number of men to Army duty every day, and beyond that point we do not care to talk" This is something of far cry from the earlier days of the corps, when public rela- tions was anxious to tell all.
 At any rate, there has been no noticeable flood of Specialist Corpsmen into desk jobs, and no staggering exodus of unclaimed regular officers to field assign ments. Hence the newly formed schools, while not a duplication of Specialist Corps. might well be designed to displace the civilian outfit. One of Arny's peculiari- ties is that 1t likes to have regular Army men doing Army work.
 EXPECT
 MORE SCHOOLS
 Selection for admission to the ad- ministrative schools will parallel selection for regular officer train ing. After a man has completed his basic training. he can apply along regular channels for crack at the school. If his education, civilian training or experience qualities him. in he goes and pops out with second lieutenant's bars.
 Of course, opportunity is neces- sarily limited at the moment, since the three schools. accommodate only some 45O candidates apiece. But facilities undoubtedly will ex- pand as the draft draws more and more limited servicemen into the Army. It is not too optimistic to say that in time the limited service mans chances for a commission will equal his huskier brothers.
 In any event. it's boon for the mass of men who were dolefully contemplating Q duration enlist ment bereft of 6 chance to rise