Approximately 150 officer candidate students of the Army Air Forces Statistical School will be discharged as enlisted men of the Air Corps on February 27th to be commissioned as 2d Lieutenants, Army of the United States, on Monday, March 1st in a brief graduation ceremony commencing at 1100 o'clock in Baker Library.
The occasion at the Library Monday marks the culmination of approximately thirteen weeks of intensive training for the "Singing Statisticians"; six weeks basic Air Force study having been performed at the Officer Candidate School for Administrative Officers of the Army Air Forces at Miami Beach, and the remaining specialized statistical training period being at the Business School here at Soldiers Field.
Many interesting assignments to Air Force combat and service unit await the latest crop of "shavetails", as they are dubbed by professional soldiers. About half of the men will be sent to Statistical Control Units of the four domestic Air Forces of the Army for early reassignment to various Bombardment and Fighter Group Headquarters operating under those Air Forces. Approximately 28% of the remaining graduates will be on the ocean blue before long, heading for organizations in a foreign theatre. Twelve to fifteen men may go to Headquarters Army Air Forces in Washington; other such groups will be assigned to organizations of the Flying Training Command and the Air Transport Command, and a few officers will go to stations under the Technical Training Command, which is the branch of their Forces operating the Statistical School and scores of other schools where technical ground-course training is given.
Mellon Hall living quarters of the statisticians will be vacated during the afternoon and evening Monday; next day the char force moves in armed with brooms, rags mops, to prepare the dorm for the following class--the 8th class--due from Miami about March 5th.
The contract between the War Department and Harvard for the training of Stat Officers is expected to be extended in the near future. Whereas the present instrument is due to expire shortly, Headquarters AAF appears to desire more of these key men for the expanding Army than was contemplated a year ago.
Chaplains Have it Easy
Certain members of the Stat School detachmen have been heard to voice objection to the statement in last week's Chaplain's column: "Rising at 5:30 o'clock in the morning, every morning, they rush into a schedule which they claim would cause physical breakdowns to men in the other groups stationed at Harvard."
The retort from Mellon Dining Hall is "anything the sky-pilots (bless their hearts) can take, we can manage with ease."
Thumb Gets in Way
Captain L. L. Woodman, School Executive Officer, put his thumb in the way early this week while hammering on a KEEP OUT sign at the pistol range in Wayland. "Just a case of hitting the wrong nail," he says.
NOTE: Detachment stenog, Elsa Pearlstein, popped the bullseye very effectively that day in practice; she had the entire range repair crew very attentive for a while-from a conservative distance.
The following students of the present Stat School class are former Harvard men:
Matthew P. Doherty, Jr., Horold L. Harvey, Leon C. Hartstone, Herbert Jaques, Arthur W. Lucht, James R. McPherson, Lawrence Munson, Charles O. Porter, and Harold N. Warsawer.
Tea for Graduating Class
There will be a tea for the relatives and friends of the graduating class from 1400 to 1600 on Monday, March 1st. This is a good place to park the folks while you are being given clearance from the post; it will take most of the afternoon and part of the evening to get all bills paid and straighten out travel, sign but in the regular register book, etc.
All Stat School students are urged to assist the char force as much as possible by placing all trash they are leaving behind Monday in receptacles for same in the hallways and basement corridors. Be sure to take articles of enlisted clothing to the Supply Sergeant if you are not taking them with you.
A conducted tour of Harvard University will be arranged for the Air Corps and their friends on Sunday, February 28. The meeting place is in the Harvard Memorial in Harvard Yard, at 1430 o'clock.
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