The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-01
Fair Enough
BY pEGLER

the American Army will be maEorYned If the
people do not take into consideration the fact
that the corps of officers live by and, gen
orally live up to-, the finest, most dealistic
and rigid code OF honor and duty that exists
in our society. This sweeping endorsement Of
the officers code, which is passed on from
class to class at West Point, and with which
the professional officer class is thoroughly i'm
bued early in manhood, does not except the
clergy, as a whole profession, and certainly
not politics, journalism, the law, the judiciary
or Congress or other elective Office up to the
presidency. Not all our professional or career
officers ere West Pointers but most Of them
understand, cherish and live by the code. And,
Of course, not all West Pointers are able,
throughout life, to live UP to 1t, but neverthe-
less the average conduct Of these men is COM
parably superior to that Of any other group
considered as a profession or trade.
During this war, when the West Pointers
were relatively rare, the standard was bound
to decline. This fine morality was diluted and
polluted. Men were given commissions who, in
civil life, had clearly indicated that they
could be relied on to exploit power and op-
portunity FOR personal advantage and did.
Politics intruded and good men were placed
in false positions. We may easily say that
the officer who authorized the use Of space
on an Army plane to fly Elliott Roosevelt's
savage dog from Washington to California
should have been court-martialed, but the
first offense lay in the personal request from
the White House which Was an outrage
against the code. The office. should have
had the courage, the honor as they would call
it at the military academy, to refuse to issue
this priority. But had he refused, Of course,
he would have had excellent reason to expect
painful, indirect and unofficial punishment
for lese majestic. His family. If any, would
have shared his distress because army fam
lilies live in the hope of promotion and pay
and the gradually more generous terms OF
life in proportion to rank.
1t is indecent to put an officer on such a
spot but that is politics for you and an illus
tration OF the sordidness az the political
code by comparison with that OF West Point.
During their cadet years many Of the men
are insutterable little snobs growing more so
when they rise to the first class in the fourth
year when they prosecute their interiors, rub
bing in the discipline which smacks Of haz-
ing in revenge for their own sufferings. But
there is no man humber or less privileged in
the Army than a new West Pointer who goes
out as a second lieutenant to join his outfit.
He has to prove himself not only to the older
officers Of his regiment and mess but often,
by physical combat, to his men. 1t is not rare
that a new shave-tail arranges to meet some
sergeant in a quiet spot, unattended, and
fight out some dispute with his fists.
Al West Point, cadets are required by honor
to report themselves Cor punishment for in
fractions of rules and discipline even though
nobody else may known even THAT the offense
was committed. They frequently do. An old
officer friend of mine who came from the
ranks in the first war, but became a thorough
West Pointer at heart, finally rose to the
rank of co4oned in the second war. He was too
old FOR a combat command but they did give
him an overseas assignment, which was better
than desk work in Washington or duty on some
post at home. He was terribly disappointed,
after all his years of faithful work and study,
to be denied the chance to fight an enemy in
command Of a regiment. In his foreign as
signment he violated instructions ~uninten-
tionally.
1t was a stupid act but there were no harm
full consequences. Nevertheless, as soon as he
realized what he had done, he reported him.
self. He was relieved and denoted to lieuten-
ant-Colonel.
There were impositions On enlisted soldiers
during Inc late war and West Pointers I'M
doubtedly were guilty in many cases. Some
of our generals were over-ranked and WI had
colonies wko really had not advanced profess
sionaly beyond the rank of captain. However,
if the West Point code had been observed
scrupulously these abuses would not have hap
pened. And remember, the West Pointer had
seen terrible abuses Of political influence and
disgraceful favoritism.
The American corps Of officers must have
been better than the professional Germans
and japanese, generally regarded therefore
as the best in the world, because our side
won. We produced superb generals who did
this with far fewer casualties than the nation
grimly expected and, for reward, we now
hear a flippant ex-sergeant telling a con-
gressional committee that Our generals ought
to shine their own shoes. Does any executive
in civil life do this? Even office boys don't
shine their own.
The pay is miserable in this caste" and
patriotism is the motive Of most Of the men
and theic families. If the ethics of our poll
tics and, especially the ethics that Roosevelt
and Truman brought to the White House, ever
should pervade the Army the whole organiza-
ton would dissolve into a tragic mess of
greed, lying, chicanery, privilege and graft.
Every decent man who is willing to consider
Rooseveit's personal record and Trunaan's past
history in Kansas City knows this.
Abolish the ~''caste'' system, make generals
shine their own shoes, make career men eat
with short : term enlisted or drafted soldiers
throughout their lives in the Army and you
will have neither generals nor officers at all
but low demagogs and no Army but a rahble.
Why should any self-respecting ambitious
man choose that career? No intelligent. Ameci-
can man would want to serve in such a force
and the refusal would be so general that Con-
gress would have to restore the old system Or