Evening star., 1943-06-20
Bv Walter McCaiIum.

II did not receive special treatment as
a general officer. Any wounded soldier
received the same treatment, as fast and
in the same way"
Question: Is so-called Ranger or
Commando training being given all
| troops?
Answer: Generally, yes. All troops
get degree of Ranger training. We
don't carry 1t quite so far as special
Ranger units. We try to make all troops
as good Ranger troops as possible We
have picked out the basic essentials of
Ranger training and give them to all
infantry troops. In a specific situation
| such as special attack, we might pick
out, say battalion of infantry and give
send them back to their division to work
into the attack, but all troops get some
form of Ranger training.
Question: Does the basic training pc
riod of infantry equip the soldier with
suff1cient knowledge to fight successfully
with a Regular Army combat unit?
Answer: Yes. 1t enables him to ioin
/ " SShAA0oe uiiAt oo dS llc lllllSIleS DdSlC
training He will improve as he goes
along with Regular Army units by adopt
ing their routine. but there is no substi-
tute for actual battle training.
! Question: Are limited servicemen given
substantially the same basic training as
| are Glass IA fighting men?
Answer: Yes, so far as they are phys
] tca1lV hle We Ir,'t l,o
limited serviceman go on 20-mile hike
If he couldn't take it. Limited service
men are valuable soldiers in many situa-
tions
Question: Why does the Army spend
so much time training 1-B men as SOL
diers if they are not intended as combat
soldiers?
Answer: We can use certain number
OF them in some combat situations, and
We are trying to absorb the available
manpower In combat areas 1-B men
are sometimes used as cooks, clerks, etc.
II the 1-B man has intelligence we can
place him where he will be of great help
to combat soldiers.
Question: How do the new draftees. in
sAAS SoA -Olu Sloup, SOlIDdIS Will
earlier groups Of men entering the Army?
Answer: They are a whale of a lot
| better than some. They are strong, Wig
orous, eager and searching for adventure.
They are having the time of their lives
| In the Army. Their commanders are
| crazy about them. The older man has
family interests, business interests to
10 Io i
physically. Last year we got a lot of
older men who weren't so hot Then to
see these peppy youngsters coming into
the Army was breath of fresh air.
Question: Are opportunities for ad-
vancement in the ground forces today
greater or less than they were a year
ago?
Answer: Less, because we are not ex-
panding as rapidly as we were a year
ago. The rate of commissioning officers
IS slower and probably never will be as
| great as year ago. But there still is
plenty OF opportunity for commissioned
and noncommissioned officers to ad-
vance in the ground forces. Some we
have are not so top-f1ight.
Question: Have advances been made
in coordination of attack by ground and
air? Has the problem of identification
OF front-line units from the air been
solved?
| Answer: Advances have been made,
but we haven't licked the problems. The
air force is in great demand 1t is hard
to spare airplanes for training purposes.
The shipping situation is such that the
ground forces have ample time for train
Ing, where the components of the air
forces can go directly to combat areas
under their own power.
Identification of ground units from the
air has not been completely solved but
We are better. This is partly due to lack
OF training with air units and partly due
to our equipment.
Question: Is there any favorite branch
OF the service for which draftees ask?
Answer: I don't know accurately. I
imagine many ask for duty in the Ar
Force because OF the glamour of the air
and because OF good ratings and higher
pay. I would say the infantry is not the
| first choice, but in the final instance the
| ground troops win battles. The armored
| force has been quite popular.
Question: Have the months of fighting
raised or lowered the morale of the aver
age ground soldier?
Answer: think it is raised, compared
with the attitude of the soldier before
Pearl Harbor. We now have the stimulus
of war. The men want to get the thing
| over They Uont tn
they train effectively, to get to grips
with the enemy.
Question: What does the enlisted man
think OF the caliber OF the officers who
/ lead him?