Evening star., 1950-09-10
By Hermon +. Shoden
Stor Stoff Correspondent

FORT JACKSON, S. c., Sept.
9.-The confidence game is getting
a big play as the new Army takes
on a fresh batch of draftees.
Remember the obstacle course,
that tortuous trail over hummock
and wall, across creek and rope
ladder? It's still here for the
edification of District. Maryland
and Virginia basic trainees. and il
may be Just as tough to run. But
now the army calls it the con
fidence course" and in that psy.
Geological stroke, sort of epitomizes
a new spirit.
To a reporter who almost got
through basic training in 1943
and thought the Army was toe
mulish ever to change, some of
the new twists are downright rev.
olutionary.
An impressive one is the sincere
effort to correct that World War
II sore Spot-the assignment of
War II men to ill-f1tted jobs. Any
World War II trainee also would
agree that today'S processing is
a sinecure compared with the
rambling methods they knew.
Much of the fuzzy, time wasting
and seemingly irrelevant duties
have been judiciously deleted from
the basic training schedule. Hap
PLY there isn't so much hurry-up-
and-Wait, and the shoved-around
sensation each rookie must eXpe-
rience before he's readjusted has
been Spurred by the Korean emer-
gency. The Army will compress
the equivalent of 19 weeks train
ing into IA at Fort Jackson, where
other District men will join At
drafteeS now in camp.
Races Being Trained Together.
Brig. Gen. Frank c. Mcconnell
is confident the new training pro-
gram will produce men who are
willing, able and fit to fight" !"
AS commander of the Eighth Di-
vision, a training outfit to which
all draftees here will be assigned,
Gen. Mcconnell has taken the
initiative in dissolving the color
line, and pushing the Army's new
concept of the dignity of man.
Gen. Mcconnell says the joint
training of white and colored
troops is working out all right.
Gen. Mcconnell takes pride in
making the civilian soldiers life
more bearable, but he is convinced
the recruit should quickly sever
the apron strings once he arrives
in camp. BY his calculation, it
takes only Is minutes to achieve
that here.
Fifteen minutes after the re-
cruit hits the initial receiving
point, he has his first issue of
Army clothes. Some of the Army's
new psychology is in Gen. Nc
Connell'S welcoming address.
"The bulk of your training will
be strictly offensive in nature" he
says.
1t may be three or four days
after the rookie completes his
four-day processing before he be-
gins the initial six weeks basic
training which all Army men now
get, before classification to in
fantry, artillery, armored, engi-
neers or any other branch.
Takes Sunday OFF.
That's another of Gen. McCon-
nell's whims and it fits pretty
closely into what the Army is
doing to democratize itself.
Traditionally. America takes
Sunday off. The general ants
the Eighth Division 10 take Sun
day off when possible, and Satur-
day afternoon, too. He thinks a
little religion on sunday wouldn't
hurt. BY starting the training
schedule on Monday, the division
can keep the Sunday-off schedule
even while troops are on bivouac
a week at a time.
This new army seems to be
achieving two purposes in its new
basic training schedule. The men
should be better mentally ard
physically equipped fighters even