Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-09-16

are anxious to be discharged like
any other veteran. If they all were
discharged Immediately, there would
be no one to take their places and.
therefore. the planes would not fly
This would. of course, delay the re-
turn of thousands more men over
seas who are now returning by air
transport. These are just few of
the conflicting problems of fair and
speedy rehabilitation. There are
many more, but these give the idea
of what a Job it is.
The Discharge System
In developing plan to return
millions of men from foreign coun-
tries to the United States and dis
charge them from the Army, both
speedily and fairly, it is impossible
to find a solution which pleases
everybody.
The War Department decided that
the men themselves should be given
the chance to say how the system
which affects their individual lives
should operate. Survey teams SIM
liar to those used by the well-known
public opinion polls in this country
were sent to every theater to ask
the troops. The survey was con-
Quoted for an entire year. From it
was developed the now well-known
point system.
Points take into consideration the
length of service, both in this coun-
try and overseas, the amount OF
combat man has had, and the size
of the immediate family which is
dependent upon him. The soldier
receives ] point for each month in
the Army, ! additional point for
each month overseas, 5 points for
each decoration or battle participa-
ton star, and II points for each de-
pendent child up to total of three
The point scores were originally
computed on May u after the defeat
of Germany. They were recomputed
as of September 2 and throughout
the demobiliZation the point score
necessary for discharge will be
lowered again and again until the
temporary forces have all been re-
turned to civilian life.
At first, because of the critical Job
of moving troops from Europe to the
Pacific in case they were needed to
fight Japan, there were a number of
highly technical skills which were
so essential to the operations of the
Army that enlisted men in those
claSsifications were retained in the
Army regardless of their point score
BY September the list of skills hao
been reduced from 19 to 3. There
are only few men with the listed
critical skills in the Army. Never
theless, the War Department has
ruled that even though an enlisted
man has one of these skills he can
not be held in the Army for more
than months after he has become
eligible for release under the point
system.
Some officers. similarly. may bt
retained for a maximum of months
even after they become eligible fol-
release under the point scores be-
/ SouSC Vi SllSll dbLillCS III Xix
handling of the Transportation
system on which speedy demobiliza
ton depends or in government o.
occupied enemy countries.
There are several ways other thar
by age or point score in which off
GERS and enlisted men may be dis
charged. These have been estab
lished to cover necessary exceptions
to general policy and to prevent I'm
due hardships to families or retard
| ing of the Nations effort to restor
its peacetime way of life
+, Oficers and enlisted men who ar
not eligible for release under tn
age or point system may be dis
charged if their families are so de
pendent on their earning ability o
family leadership that undue hard
, ships would result if they were re
tanned in service.
A hardship discharge application