July-August - Air Defense Artillery School

BRIGADIER GENEHAL BHYAN L. ~hLl3UHN, COII/1lumdmlt
Coast Artillery
Activities
By Liellten(l1lt Colonel Cl1ar/es H. Scott
Early in June, Brigadier General Bryan L. ~lilburn
succeeded Brigadier General Edgar H. Underwood as
Commandant of the Antiaircraft Artillery School at Camp
Davis, N. C. General Milburn came to the school with a
record of Coast Artillery Corps service going back to 1917.
A two-day visit by Lieutenant General Ben Lear was
spent in witnessing many parts and activities of the AAA
Schoo\. In his round of inspections, General Lear was
joined by Major General Joseph A. Green, commanding
general of the Antiaircraft Artillery Command. Shortly
after his arrival, General Lear witnessed the setting up and
operation of various AA guns, automatic weapons and
searchlights by troops of the 108th Group of the AAA
School. The inspecting general asked many questions of
officers and enlisted men. Later he watched officer candidates
of the school going through their regular schedules.
On the second day of his stay, General Lear watched
many types of firing at Sears Landing. It is understood he
voiced approval of all he had seen. The schedule for the
general's visit was arranged by the Operations Section of
the AAA School.
Production of a feature film concerning the experiences
of officer candidates at the AAA School is now nearing completion.
The Hollvwood firm, which will distribute the
film through local'theaters throughout the country, has
been shooting the picture in the school area. ~ Iany of the
officer candidates now taking the course will appear in the
motion picture. The film has been approved by the \Var
Department and the fullest cooperation to the project has
been given by General ~lilburn. The film came about
through the suggestion of the School's Public Relations
office. The script is based on a story by Captain Arthur C.
Fitz-Hichard who is engaged in writing scripts for trainin~I
films at the School's Division of Training Publications.
Hecently the first class of officer candidates to go through I
the new seventeen week course was graduated and commissioned
at the AAA School. Until the recent order 01
the \Var Department that all officer candidate schools bt
extended to a minimum of seventeen weeks, the AAAI
School's course had the distinction of being the only one'
beyond the regular thirteen weeks. Acknowledged to bt I
one of the most difficult of the officer candidate courses
due to the great amount of technical material that must Ixl
digested by a student, the A1\A School saw fit to lengthen
the course so that more specialization could be made.
During the course now, officer candidates are separated,
into various branches of Antiaircraft Artillery and obtain aI
concentrated education in one particular field. During thtt
early weeks of the course, candidates are given a good.
background in all parts of 1\AA.
\Vhile the primary aim of the Army is to prepare sol I
diers for combat, still what service men are leamino in tht
. 0 I
Army Schools prepares them for better civilian jobs ",he
peace comes, General Underwood told one of the gradual
ing enlisted specialists classes at the AAA School recent!)
Due to the highly technical nature of modern warfare. J~
great deal of what they learn in the Army will be applicabl t
Officer candidates borrow an idea from the
football squads to develop teamwork.