Evening star., 1945-10-06
G Queries to Congress Receive Army Mass Production Replies
By ROBERT BRUSKIN

The War Department has gone
into mass production to answer for
members of Congress swamped with
letters from constituents, the TO-
point question: How do I get home
and out of the Army?"
This question is being answered
at least 900 times each day by IA Of
flcers, most of whom are overseas
veterans, 201 hard-working WACS,
practically all of whom would like
to get out, too, and also ISL civilians.
The letters are forwarded for in-
vestigation by practically every
member of Congress. Replies are
addressed to the Senator or Repre-
sentative who may send it on to the
compliance or abstract information
contained in the War Department
reply in a personal letter.
Since they were organized Sep
tember 10 into the Congressional
Correspondents Branch, the War
Department workers have investi-
gated about 5000 queries. One
night this week there was back
log of 6,222 still unanswered, but
the plaintive flood has subsidized and
Col. William M. Clarkson, the COM
manding officer, hopes as more men
are discharged, the queries will di-
minish to the point where he can
get out, too. A prisoner of the Jap
anese in Hongkong for six months
in 1912 until he was exchanged with
other diplomats, Col. Clarkson Is
awaiting retirement.
Arranges Stock Replies.
To handle this volume, Col. Clark
son broke down the questions asked
into six categories and provided
stock replies which answered most
questions precisely. There were those
who wanted to get out because of
parentage, because of length of serv-
ice but with an inadequate num-
ber of points, because of age, be-
cause they considered themselves
too young to serve or too old, be-
cause they claimed special consid-
Grafton for the type of work they
did in civilian life, and "miscellane-
GUS"
The miscellaneous" group is the
one taking the most time, and is
also the one in which the Army has
been able to rectify infrequent in
justice.
There was one soldier about to
be sent overseas although he had
more than enough points for dis
charge. Col. Clarkson's investiga-
tors Strengthened his record and he'll
soon be discharged. The wife of an
other claimed the same circum-
stances, but it was found the hus-
band had volunteered to serve the
duration plus six months"
. When the discharge point score
became 10 on october l, one woman
wrote asking what time of that day
her husband would be released. On
that day he was at Okinawa.
Husband Kept in "Stockade."
Another woman wrote that the
Army was keeping her husband un-
necessarily in service although he
had more than enough points for
discharge. His address was a
"stockade" in California. The Army
is wondering how to inform her
through her Congressman, that
"stockade" in Army language is
synonymous with Jail.
One school wanted all its students
back because of their theological
studies; another letter to a Senator
demanded that all firemen of Mid
western city be discharged, and
there was another asking the same
special privilege for postal clerks
and policemen.
There was one round-robin letter
signed by Fifty Lonesome Wives"
who claimed they were growing old
and wanted children. One which
particularly pleased the War De-
partment was sent by a Represen-
tative from New York. 1t was a
petition, filled with three foolscap
pages of names of soldiers serving
in the Pacific. asking that the War
Department be safeguarded from
criticism because its policies were
just.
Every soldier has the inalienable
right to ask his Congressman for
information, and we try hard to get