The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1942-06-11

WNU Service, 134s H Street, NV,
Washington, D. C.
sat the other day in the office Of
General Hershey. Selective Service
administrator, as he leaned back.
one ankle drawn up on his a
knee and listened to him talk o
scarcities. Not the kind Of search
ties we hear about when the old
argument of scarcity-versus aoun-
dance OF farm crops comes up
although it might have been such
a talk for General Hershey is very
much Of a farmer. It was a talk
about the scarcity Of men OF the
ideal age for the army-ideal from
the standpoint Of adaptability to
military life, physical energy. lack
of dependents and other responsible
ity, lack of training that is needed
for agriculture or industry.
The general did some lightning
calculations that I couldn't follow
but it started with the total number
of men of ideal fighting age. Then
came subtractions for the ones with
dependents, the ones needed on the
farm and in the factory and the Is
per cent more which it might be
expected would have physical dis
abilities.
According to plans announced
now the United States needs for the
army, navy and marine corps Tin
GLIDING two million for the air
force) nine million men. About
three million are now in the service.
When General Hershey finished
with the figuring l found that there
are about 10 million men available
for military service from which six
million must be recruited if the
army plans are carried out. And
out of that 10 million there has to
be saved back the ones we can't
get elsewhere for agriculture and
industry and no one is sure how
many that will be.
In any case it means that about
one out of every three men of mill
tary age will eventually be called.
Grave Responsibilities
That is why such a heavy respon-
sibility rests on the shoulders OF
the draft boards, and behind the
draft boards on all employers of
labor. That is also why congress
has made the effort to get a sharp
Qualification regarding deferments
because of dependents or because
of employment needs. Meanwhile
every man from 10 to A is left in
a state of indecision, for of course
all these men cannot be called at
the same time. A lot of them would
be glad to hear the call and get it
over.
Last Sunday I had lunch with a
young man who had been moving
in a sea Of uncertainty for months;
it was impossible for him or his
wife to make the necessary plans
to arrange their existence in case
he went into the army Then out of
a clear sky he was called. He had
been in the army for one week when
I saw him and I never saw such a
change. It was largely due to re-
lief. He had come home on a fur
Tough granted him to take r Of
business matters. He was full of
praise for army efficiency and had
high hopes that he would be able to
do just what he had found it i'm
possible to do before; namely. find
out the niche into which he would fit,
where he would not only be doing
the best job he could do for the
country but a job which was best
fitted to his experience and training
and therefore his peace of mind. He
was a man who was energetic and
active and if he had been chained to
a paper-work job he would have
been a misfit. He had worried
lest, because he was a college man
and had to wear glasses, he would
get some kind Of clerical work rath-
er than a more active assignment
As a rule you wi. find, l believe,
that the average man of military
age feels this way: he is willing to
do whatever job his country wants
him to do. He wants to do the job
he can do best. He doesn't want
to break up his education. his fam
lily arrangements. his business ca
reer If he is not going to be called,
yet he wants to plan ahead if he is
sure any Of these things are going
to be necessary. When he is called,
and the decision is made and he
finds himself in the army and finds
that army life and army routine are
a lot moro businesslike than he
thought, his morale goes up like the
mercury in August. That is the
reason why a lot of soldiers are
saying, whats the matter with