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

Page 79 text:

An orientation movie and a lecture on the Articles of War complete his processing procedures. He is then re- turned to his barracks, where he awaits the shipment orders translierring him to il replacement training center. Although they have no direct contact with him during his stay at the Reception Center, several sections of station complement troops play a very important role in the pro- cessing procedures. 'lihere is, for example. the Records Section. which handles processes, completes, checks, and forwards his service records and allied papers. The Mess Section is responsible for feeding him while he is at the Center. lt also furnishes meals on troop trains leaving here. Although the mess halls can accommodate an average ol' 2,500 men per meal. records show that during the Peak ot' operation here as many as 7,200 men have lmeen fed one meal. The recreational and morale activities for the selectees and the overhead personnel are provided by the Special Services Section. 'l'ransportation for the men to their new stations, as well as motor transportation lor all Recep- tion Center installations, is furnished by the Transporta- tion Section. lfirst of the units to he completed at lfort Bragg during the expansion program. the Reception Center has processed approximately 200,000 men from this area. Un Sep- tember 1, 194--14 it became one ol' the units of the Wai Department Personriel Center, and is now under the com- mand of Major Dallas l. Larkin. Top, right: Newly arrived selectees at Checking Station .... Center, right: Selectees taking Army General Classification Test .... Bottom, right: Allotment and insur ance section .... Top, left: Selectees receive shots at the Medical Section. . . . Bottom, left: Detachment headquarters of Receiving Companies at Reception Center

Page 78 text:

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.

Page 80 text:

Q .f f Personnel Consultant Discusses Problem Facing Training Class Instruction is Provided for ell Trainees As men were called for induction into the service, a large number of them were rejected because they could not meet Army educational requirements. Many of these were able-bodied and intelligent, they simply had not had an opportunity to complete their education. Yet it was also known that lo be of value to our Army a soldier must be able to read instruction manuals and notices, and to read and write messages. This problem carrie to the atten- tion of leading educators, who laid out a plan whereby soldiers could be taught to read, write, and interpret orders, directives, and messages. This plan was adopted by the Army, and schools, called Special Training Units, were established throughout the country. Soldiers who are receiving instruction in the Special Training bnits represent every race and possess every language background imaginable. The basic reading and writing materials are the same for all. They tell of the experiences of Private Pete, a new recruit like the trainees, who does the things which they must learn to do. Additional materials are added to each unit according to its needs. Because a soldier would soon lose interest ill his Work if he were taught nothing but reading and writing all day, addi- tional subjects are covered, such as arithmetic, oral expres- sion, and Military Field Training. In the Military Field Training the soldier is given an introduction to each part of the basic training which he must take after being graduated from the Special Training Unit. All soldiers must take this basic training, but the Special Training Unit soldier has the opportunity to become familiar with it beforehand.