The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-03-30
Naval Policy.
By DEWITT H. JOHN

The ma gnificent military machine with
which the United States ended the war is be-
ing swiftly dismantled, Legons of skilled radar
operators, navigators, and gunners are back
in civilian clothes. The armed forces are no.
where prepared for immediate action.
Because of the necessity for strong peace
tin: armed forces, Congress and the military
services themselves have spurred efforts to
combat the widespread antipathy toward mill
tary service The latest proposal in this dlrec-
ton is for a 20 per cent pay increase for all
service personnel, aimed by the War and Navy
Departments to fill the breach threatened by
prospective ending Of the Selecdve Service
Act on May 49,
| But are the real stumbling blocks to ade.
quate enlistments being removed? Should We
can we-simply buy people into the armed SER
vices? For the Navy, at least - ana oeleve
its problems typify those of other services
| there is need to correct certain hangovers Of
traditional militarism which during the war
earned more i'll will and resentment than shells
or K-rations ever did
Numerous surveys both confidential and
public have been made to find out why many
Navy men don't like the Navy. / did some
interviewing on the subject in the western
Pacific myself. The "gripes' have been pretty
well publicized. What needs emphasis is that
SofS'A
Most observers agree that dissatisfaction
revolves around three main questions:
1. Is the court-martial procedure unneces-
sarily harsh unjust, and outmoded in concept?
2 Is there adjustable discrimination be-
tween officers and enlisted men "caste"
system extending far beyond the realm of mill.
tary discipline and necessity?
g. Is the promotion system for enlisted men
too slow, too uncertain, and too often unjust
in its effects?
The heavy hand Of court-rnartial rests on the
shoulder of every person in uniform. Any man,
guilty or innocent, who runs afoul of military
courts can expect, by civilian standards, ex-
tremely limited rights and, if convicted, a very
stiff sentence.
The accused has no right Of trial by an indie.
pendent, disinterested court. His ornmanding
officer not only apprehends him, but also ord
ers the trial, appoints several officers subordi-
nate to him to act as judges, and then he re-
views the sentence: These judges are often ex-
perts at gunnery but amateurs at law. The
counsel for the accused may know nothing
about pleading a case. The defendants blame
less civilian record an extenuating factor in
civilian courts - cannot be considered.
Improvements have been suggested. One
is for the Navy to establish a corps of trained
law officers to replace legally inexperienced
me officers in the office of the Judge Advo-
cate General, and to serve on courts-martial
Every civilian jury has a professional legal
man, the judge, to advise it. From my own
experience on a court-martial panel, / can
stify that even Academy graduates some
times get confused, uncertain and lost in a
maze of known and unknown rulings on cross
examination, evidence, and technical interpre-
tations.
The Navy further needs some adequate
system OF checking up on captains masts
and deck courts, which are disciplinary legal
proceedings conducted by commanding officers
for supposedly minor infractions, SO that
scandal like that of the U. S. S. Mellette never
could occur. In II months on that ship, av-
erage of two captains masts were chalked up
for every man in the crew. and some savage
sentences were melted out. This brutal and IN
just regime never was discovered by the Navy
until a British war correspondent in the Paci-
fic wrote stories about it, reciting details, and
thus precipitated drastic official action.
A Congress-sponsored, thorough inquiry into
court-martial proceedings during World War
Two, urged by Senator Wayne Morse Of
Oregon, might be the first step toward over
hauling military justices.
Discrimination between officers and men
in nonmiitary matters frequently is mex
toned, officers were permitted to wear short
sleeved shirts and knee-length shorts while
enlisted men were required to wear full-length
dungarees. Inequalities In liquor rationing,
especially where officers were observed to be
inebriated in public, caused much bitterness.
Enlisted men on Guam were punished strictly
for loading jeep with more than four persons
but officers publicly disobeyed this rule daily
The tremendous psychological gulf between
officers and enlisted men-and, in fact, be-
tween Academy officers and reserve officers
might be bridged with beneficial results to
the Navy itself if the curriculum at the Naval
Academy were broadened to include less ira
dltlonal indoctrination and more true educa-
ton in modern subjects, thus combating
the tendency to attribute narrow. ingrown
viewpoint to some professional naval officers.
The Academy curriculum is long on naviga
ton, ship handling, and ordnance, but short
on management administrative technique.
economics, and even geography.
The regulars are indoctrnated in how to
handle ships, but they are not educated very
much in how to handle men. Less schooling
in compulson and more education In real
leadership would help.
Wartime reserve officers were promoted
virtually automatically according to length
OF service. Enlisted men had to pass exam-
nations-and other hurdles, too. Frequently,
a mans papers Jagged weeks or months be-
hind him. He qualified for promotion; he was