Caption: Convocation - 1942 Winter-Spring
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HE prospectus for these convocation lectures stated thai the were to be factual. I am ver) glad because I have nothing t < sell. Neither am I in a position to prophesy. First, I should like to make a confession. While I have on i sion lectured before military audiences, this is my debul before an audience of this sort. In addition to my many shorl >mings as a lecturer. I have beei S imewhat put to it to decide just what I should attempt to cover that at the end you would not he left completely exhausted and in utter confusion. I have heard that many potential young soldiers are anxious t< know just "what they will encounter once they actually reach th m e d forces." Well, I doubt if anyone can i^ive a very specific answ r to that. 1 am Mire I cannot. ( If course the ultimate objective of all combat training is tlr evelopment oi aggressive, resolute, thoroughly capable individual md units whose skill, initiative, and confidence instill in them the desire to close with the enemy, destroy him. and thereby assure the domesti tee and international security of our countrymen. T h e qualities which military training seeks to develop in the individual a r e : discipline: health and e n d u r a n c e ; adaptability and teamv. r k ; technical proficiency; initiative and leadership. While an individual's prior experience may suggest his initial assignment to some relatively safe employment in the S O S , that iService of Supply, all soldiers, both commissioned and enlisted, must e prepared to fight in a crisis. T h e r e are man}- trees in this forest before us. It is growing every day and many new varieties are springing up. Adhering to a sound military rule to reconnoiter a wood before becoming involved with unknown hazards which might be >ncealed t h e r e i n . I c a m e to the conclusion that we w uld all be th wiser if we confined o u r s e l v e s this evening: to a rcc nais an from a limited number of vantage points from with.-ut the fon \. In other word-, from information that is available to me and which I am at liberty to divulge at this time, I shall attempt to partially answer SO m e of your questions by giving you a general picture of the national defense set up as it now exists, going into slightly more detail about those Army features which I presume ar< of more immediate interest to most i)\ you, Latci on, should someone have s o m e specific point he would like t ha< - larified. I jhall be glad to at tempt to do s,». 21
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