The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1948-03-25

Department Commander J. S
Cooper, of the American Legion
Department of Washington, join
ed his fellow citizens this week ir
a long look at the troubled inter.
national situation, and this is wha,
he thinks: ...
81 do not make this statement
just for the purpose of sounding
like an alarmist.
cit seems to me that we should
be calmly realistic about our prob
lens. Our Regular Army is well
below authorized strength. 1t is
down to less than 100000 men, the
greater portion of which is on oc-
cupational duty. Over one-third
are in basic or preliminary train
ing i'm the United States. We have
today, less than 10000 troops
trained and free for immediate
comb. action. Our Navy, with
an authorized strength of sec, 1000
has but $4,000 men and this in
cludes the Marine Corps and ou
Air force is 1862 under strength
and losing men every week. 1T Is
difficult to perform our occupation
responsibilities at this time, quite
apart from maintaining a state of
preparedness which is essential.
AS you know, the National Guard
has reached only about one-third
of its basic strength. The Organ
lied Reserve is practically non-ex-
iStent. g..
/. The present planned strength of
the National Guard is six hundred
and eighty thousand, of which lwo
hundred and ten thousand have
been recruited 1t will take uni
versal training to complete the JOB.
These facts add up to only one
thing, and that is that our present
program for national security Is
not bearing fruit. Much more re- !
mains to be done if we are to be a |
strong and secure nation, and in
our strength and security have the |.
guarantee that we will avoid. ag-
erosion which usually comes to
those who are too weak to resist
it. -. --......- . -. -.. =.
Any realistic system of security,
Washington said, had to rest upon
the basis, and quote: that every
citizen who enjoys the protection
of a free government owes not
only a portion of his property, but
even of his personal services to the
defense of it-and that, as a con-
sequence, every citizen of Ameri-
ca, should be carried upon the
training rolls of the country.
"The Compton Commission lists
six necessities at the conclusion OF
its comprehensive study of secur-
ity. These are a strong, healthy,
educated population; a coordinat-
ed intelligence service; scientific
research and development; indus
trial mobilization and stockpiling;
balanced armed services,
Army, Navy and Air, and a ssJs-
tenn of universal training for Sc
curity.
The report does not treat ma
tional security as a matter de-
pending upon training alone. 1t
stresses that the other FIVE recon-
are of equal import
ance, and that all-not just one
of the recommendations must be
carried out if we are to have real
security.
"Au the evidence, all the exper-
fence of the past, brings us to just
one place. We must have univer-
sal military training in the United
States.
"Airplanes are useless without
trained men to fly them and keep |
them flying; guided missiles de-
nand thousands of trained men to
fire and guide them; electronics
demand more and more trained
men. Today is the age when train
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