Evening star., 1945-08-04
Volunteers Sought
BY War Department
For Reserve Corps
BY ROBERT BRUsKIN,


Twenty-Five separation centers
acting with the personal indorse.
ment of President Truman begar
this week to seek volunteers for the
Onicers and Enlisted Reserve Corps
from among discharged veterans
Volunteers will become the war
experienced backbone Of an organ
lied reserve force Of 1000, 900 mer
which the War Department in
formed Congress during hearings
on the universal military training
act was necessary to the defense OF
the country.
If Congress rejects the contro-
versial bill, the veterans still would
be available for part time training
on a voluntary basis permissible
under existing law.
62 Per Cent Refuse.
An ofncial disclosed today that q
recent poll conducted by the War
Department indicated that 100000
officers and 100000 enlisted men
now in service or recently discharged
would accept reserve status In the
grade or rank they had when dis
charged
According to the poll, ~ per cent
Of enlisted men would enlist in the
Regular Army at the termination Of
their war duties, 1877 per cent def
nitely desired reserve status, 1874 per
cent possibly would accept, and 65.2
definitely refused reserve enlist
ments.
Among officers, the poll indicated
616 per cent desired reserve COM
missions, 22.3 per cent possibly would
accept commissions and 16.l per cent
definitely refused.
The poll was conducted entirely
in this country and was completed
March 81. Large numbers of re-
turned overseas veterans were among
those questioned.
Women Are Barred.
Female members of the Army are
barred from reserve status by War
Department directive because the
National Defense Act Of 1920 which
authorized the Organized Reserve
Corps made no mention of women
and congressional authority is there
fore lacking.
President Truman's personal in
dorsement Of the reserve recruiting
campaign was made July 4. 1t was
addressed ITO All Service Men" and
stated: Our country, which you
have served so well, needs your con-
tinued patriotic support in the Or
ganized Reserve Corps.
When you leave the service,
am personally interested that, as an
enlisted man, you enlist in the re-
serves, or that, as an officer, you
accept a anew commission in the
Officers Reserve Corps In so doing
you will contribute to the future
security of our country immeas-
urably"
Signed by Col. Truman.
The letter was signed, Harry s.
Truman, colonel, Field Artillery Re-
serve.
Plans for utilization Of reservists
are Of necessity flexible, depending
upon the will of Congress and its
appropriations for reservist training
purposes. Under present laws, the
volunteers would be unpaid except
when they volunteer for extended
full-time duty with the Army.
As now envisaged by the War De-
partment, If Congress approves
peacetime universal military train
ing, the combat hardened reservist
could volunteer for extended serv-
ice with the Army for varying Pc
riods to assist in the command of
postwar trainees. The trainees,
upon completion Of their term of
service, would in turn be assigned
to reserve units and thereby con-
tinue to profit from the experience
Of reservists who have served in
combat.
II Congress rejects postwar uni
versal military training, veteran re-
servists would have their military
Skills refurnished continuously by
conferences, correspondence school
courses conducted by the Army and
annual training camps, depending
on the extent of appropriation from
Congress. This would be similar to
the type OF training in effect before
the war when $4,000 reserve Of
ficers were available, of whom 80
600 were on active duty by the time
Of Pearl Harbor to train selectees.
Policy Found Weak.
The prewar utilization Of reserv-
lists was admitted by War Depart
ment General Staff Committee to
have been weak. A new policy
adopted by the War Department
recently attempts to overcome pre-
vious shortcomings by providing en-
listed men for the ranks Of reserve
organizations which before the war
consisted of skeleton stats of Of
flcers. The policy states the de-
STABILITY Of securing equipment for
training purposes, which was not
available before the war to such
organizations.
The mission of the Organized Re-
serve Corps, as stated in War De-
partment policies adopted recently,
Is "to be capable of furnishing in
the event of an emergency units ef-
fectively organized and trained in
time Of peace for rapid mobilization,
expansion and deployment." These
units are to be OF types and num-
bers which will, together with the
permanent establishment and Ma
tional Guard, constitute balanced
forces for the Army of the United