US Army Training Center - Yearbook (Fort Bragg, NC)

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Interviewing section of the Armed Forces Induction Station. Officer Personnel of the Armed Forces Induction Station, seated lleft to rightlz Capt. John H. New- som, Commanding: Capt. Ozzie L. Wilson, Adjutant .... Standing ileft to rightl: Lt. George S. August, Capt. J. J. Abbott, Capt. R. R. Juele, Lt. Commander J. C. Belk, Major J. Kempfner, Major E. F. Buchner, Jr., Lt. Commander Charles I. Solomon, Capt. Edmund Weber, Lt. QSGJ M. J. Capron, Major J. M. Murphy, Lt. F. T. Cook, Lt. Lester J. Waldman, Lt. R. W. Scott, Lt. Arthur Berger, Lt. W. C. Buchanan. Arrival at the Armed Forces lnduction Station is for most men of this area the first step in the process of becom- ing a soldier. Here is determined whether or not the pros- pective 'ccandidatesi' furnished by the State Selective Service local boards meet the standards for induction into the Armed Forces as set up by the War' Department in Washington. Those who fail to meet these minimum requirements are re- turned to civilian life. The eligible ones are sent to their homes to await the call to military duty. Actual induction procedures for all selectees begin on the day when they register for possible military duty with their local boards. A preliminary physical screening eliminates the most obviously disqualified men. The physically quali- fied individuals, as well as borderline and doubtful cases, are passed on to the lnduction Station, where the examina- tions are much more rigorous. The local boards also decide on the deferment of civilians on account of dependency and essential work performed. The Fort Bragg lnduction Station was activated on November 13, 1940, under the supervision of Colonel Earle C. Ewert, Commanding Ofiicer of the Reception Center. The actual induction of selectces did not begin until De- cember 1, when the first small group arrived. The station was set up to handle only 200 men per day, and twelve Medical Othcers were assigned here to conduct the examina- tions of the selectees. The Fort Bragg Induction Station, as set up originally, eX- amined only men who were drafted for Army Service, the other branches of the Armed Forces conducting separate in- duction and recruiting centers of their own. The recruiting of all service personnel was started here in January, 1943. On February 11 of the same year the lnduction Statigi was re- designated the '4Armed Forces lnduction Stationi. Lieuten- ant Colonel Lloyd S. Spooner was appointed Commanding Olhcer. At this time joint induction by the Armed Forces was begun. Representatives from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including ollicers and enlisted men, were as- signed to the station to conduct induction Work for their respective branches. lnductions have been made for these branches since that time. When the Personnel Center was established at Fort Bragg in September, 1944, the Armed Forces lnduction Station be- came one of its units. The present Commanding Ufhcer of the Station is Captain John H. Newsom. Over 300,000 men have already been processed at the Armed Forces lnduction Station since its activation. Of these approximately 135,000 have been rejected for service in the Armed Forces. Although the Station was set up to handle 200 men per day, the number of inductees passing through has increased considerably, a daily average of more than 700 undergoing examinations during the two-month period of March and April 1944.

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Above: Officers of Reception Center .... Center: The classification interview is a very important phase of Reception Center activities .... Bottom: Shoes are being issued to inductees in the Supply Section. HEIIEPTIU IIE TEH It is at the Reception Center that the soldier gets his first taste of the Army. He comes here fresh from civilian life, and, by the time he leaves il, he is a full-fledged, although inexperienced soldier. Although he has been adjusting himself to the thoughts of Army life si11ce the day he received his MGreeting7,, the actuality of it docs not strike him with full force until he advances from o11e phase of processing to the other. Here, for the first time, he sleeps in an Army barracks, cats in a mess hall, marches in ranks from building to building, gets up at reveille, and learns Army regulations and cus- toms. l jr Let us follow the selectee as he makes the transition from ,civilian to military life. His first stop, on leaving the Induction Station, is at the Checking Station, the function of Which is to receive him, check his records, prepare identification tags for him, initiate the Various W D AGO forms, and assign him to the receiving area. After a short orientation talk here he is assigned to barracks. The testing pro- gram next occupies his attention, and here he is given the Army Gen- cral Classification Test, the lllechanical aptitude Test, and the Radio Operator Aptitude Test. His physical qualifications are determined by a screening test conducted by the Medical Section. Back again at the Classification and Assignment Section he is interviewed, screened for possible special assignments, classihed, and reported to the Adjutant General. The Supply Section is his next hurdle, and this he takes with ease, as he advances from one outfitter to the other. As he leaves this section hc has gathered all the clothing that he will 11CCd for his training. The horrors of the needle, which have been haunting him, soon fade, for, before he realizes it, he has received anti-typhoid and small-pox vaccinations, the first of many nshotsw that he will receive as a soldier. Applications for in- surance and allotment are filled for him in the Final Check group in the Records Section.