The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1944-09-26


is visited by an inspector gen.
eral once a year for a check on
training, equipment, discipline,
finances, every thing. In war, in
SpectionS are more frequent.
Before units are sent overseas
there will be one or two special
investigations in the field to
report whether the unit is ready,
not ready, or ready provided.
There are two inspectors gen.
eral-a Northumberland and a
Captain-assigned to every divi-
sion for constant checkups on
details which may be ordered
at any time by the commanding
general on whose staff they
serve. There are also corps, field
army, and service command in
spectors assigned to every COM
handing generals staff.
"ACTION LETTERS" FILED
After every inspection, there
is a one-page report sent to
Washington. 1t will not cover
the little things that can be cor
rected in the field, only the ma
jor things that need further at
tention. At the bottom of each of
these one-page reports there
will be notation that six or
eight or any number of action
letters" have been filed. Action
letters covering one specific
thing that needs fixing are sent
to the officer whose response
bility it is to fix it.
1t may be a shortage of men
or surplus of average officers
or lack of equipment or train
ing. AS each corrective action IS
taken, the responsible officer
must report on what he has
done. All these reporting letters
then come TO the inspections di-
vision of the Office of the In
spector General in Washington.
If corrective action stalls, re-
port goes to the War Depart
ment SO that higher command
can take action.
Before the last war, in
spectors general were frequent
ly considered officers with little
black books who went around
+ eparing skin lists" Of petty
criticisms on which to skin the
hide off some officer. Today, I'M
der Inspector General Peter
sons policies, /. G.'s are in
Structed to look not only for the
things that are wrong, but also
for the things that are right, on
which they can pass out COM
mendation.
THE JOB is BROADENING
Expansion of the Army into
the new highly skilled technical
services has Of course meant
many new jobs for the Office of
the Inspector General. There IS
a whole new office of the air in
spector general, headed by Maj
Gen. Junius w. Jones and re-
porting directly to the COM
manding general of the Army
Air Forces, Gen. Henry H. Ar
mold. Six officers, all pilots,
head up the various tactical and
technical divisions of tbs branch
and the So officers now assigned
= it are all specialists in engi-
neering, flying, etc.
Gradually the work Of OT1G
is being shifted overseas. To-
day, Brig Gen. Elliott d. Cooke
is head of small overseas in
spections division in Washing
ton, with one officer in charge
of administrations inspections
and one look after the life of
the enlisted man. But there are
inspectors general in each thea
ter of operations responsible to
the commanding general Of that
theater, and as each major unit
goes overseas it takes along its
own inspectors general who
then become responsible within
the theater. Only the reports of
things that the War Department
can fix come to Washington.
There are 1913 inspectors gener-
al overseas now, and the num-
Der will grow.