Evening star., 1945-01-28
Army 70 Accept
Nurses CIassed
As Essential
Requirement for VINO
Permit Is Dropped
To Spur Recruiting

10 Spur Recruiting
In move to meet the "acute
and immediate need" for 10000
Army nurses, the War Department
announced last night that any reg
istered nurse conforming to Army
standards will be given prompt
consideration" for a commission al
though she has not been classified
as available for the armed forces.
The new plan was announced in
a statement which revealed that
only 926 new nurses have been COM
missioned this month despite the
fact that $4,000 casualties were re-
turned to the United States during
December.
Previously, nurses were not ac-
cepted until the War Manpowe1
Commission Procurement and AS
signment Service for Nurses CLASH
fed them IA" The new policy
apparently opens the door of the
armed forces to thousands of nurses
now classed as essential in their ci-
william nursing jobs.
Many Still Essential.
In announcing the new plan
however, the department warned
that there may still be instances
where their services are so vital to
training establishments that they
cannot be accepted"
I'VE must do all we can to stimu-
late volunteering" said Maj. Gen
George F. Lull, deputy surgeon gen.
eral. THE Army's need for nurses
Is most pressing. Thirty three
thousand casualties were returned
to this country in the month of De-
cember alone, which means that
nurses serving in installations in
this country, as we'll as those over
seas, must have immediate help.
Meanwhile, ranking members of
both parties on the House Military
Affairs Committee came out yes
terday in favor of pending legisla-
tion to authorize drafting of nurses.
Indications are the committee
will report out a bill, perhaps by
the end of the week.
Some members of the committee
opposed such measure outright or
said they would have to be convinced
OF Its necessity, but a majority
apparently favored it.
Bills Differ on Ages.
Chairman May has introduced a
bill allowing Selective Service to
induet nurses between the ages of
l8 and As and he is pressing for
early action. Another bill before
the committee, introduced by Repre-
sentative Rogers, Republican, of
Massachusetts,, would fix the ages
at 20 to As and require commissions
Tor all nurses drafted into the
Army or Maya plan which Mai.
Gen. Norman T. Kirk, Army sur
geon general. already mas indorsed.
I'm In favor of some sort of legis-
lation drafting nurses" said Rep
resentative andrews, Republican. of
New York, ranking minority member
of the committee.
Mr.. Andrews pointed out that
voluntary enlistments had failed to
enroll enough nurses to avert a
critical shortage in the Army and he
vas convinced some other meth
od was necessary.
Representative Thomason of Texas,
ranking Democrat on the commit
tee, said he had hoped enough vol
unteers would enroll to relieve the
situation and he still hoped, in the
face of the Army's request for a
draft there would by such an up
surge of recruiting the legislation
would not be necessary.
Will Support Draft.
"But if not" he added. "I'll sup
port a draft. I'm for giving Gen.
Marshall whatever he needs to win
this war"
Representative Short, Republican.
Of Missouri, committee member
long prominent in the House, said
he would have to be convinced a
nurses draft was necessary.
Personally" he explained, "I
don't like the idea of a draft. I'm
opposed to the manpower draft for
industry. But if we can't gAt enough
nurses any other way, I'll go along
18th them and support draft"
Gen. Kirk appeared before the
"ommittee earlier in the month and
urged immediate adoption of draft
legislation. The Army, he said,
needs $4,000 nurses at once to as
sure adequate care for the wounded
and sick overseas and in this coun-
try.
Plans for an intensive national
campaign to bring to the women of
America the need for enlisting more
than 5000 WACS for service in
Army hospitals were announced
Yesterday by the War Advertising
Council in cooperation with the
War Department and the Office of
War Information.
WACs Relieve Nurses.
This is aside from the continuing
drive to enlist graduate nurses,
whose skill is essential to the care
OF casualties. But the WACs can
help in many capacities, and they
ere relieving many nurses for trans
fer to foreign service or important
tuties in this country.
The WAC recruiting campaign
as opened with a 1,250-line ad-
ertisement sent to every daily news
aper in the United States, through
he American Newspaper Repre-
Tantatives' Association, which un-
Gerwrote all production costs. The
National Retail Dry Goods Asso-
riation has asked its 5000 member
stores to help by advertising and
recruiting booths. National adver-
tisers and radio stations have prom
ised to back the plan.
Most of the WACs recruited for
the Medical Corps will be used in
the so general military hospitals.
The first newspaper advertisement
emphasized that wounded were be-
ing returned to this country for
further treatment at the rate OF
10000 a month.
The average Army nurse must
take care of 26 hospital beds, it was