The Army, however, reportedly did not achieve large-scale modernization until France fell in 1940 (Odom 98). A 1935 Gallup poll reporting that Americans would support larger appropriations for military readiness was the first indication of shifting attitudes. Nevertheless, appropriations would not reflect slowly growing popular concern until 1938. (Odom 200) TABLE 2. Congressional Appropriations for Military Activity, 1925-1940 (dates adapted)

Fiscal Year Ending

June 30

Appropriation ($)

Source: Data from U.S. Treasury Department, Digest of Appropriations (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1921-41).

Odom 82)

During the time frame from 1925-1945, a soldier's duties could change in a moment. The closer a soldier came to combat, the greater his "physical hardihood" needed to be, General McNair contended. "Proximity to combat depended, not on type of job, but on type of unit. A cook or clerk, if in an infantry unit, was likely to have to fight and would certainly experience irregular conditions of living. (Palmer, Wiley, and Keast 41)

Advances in technology advances, as well as soldiers' individuals roles changing during 1925-1945 contributed to changes throughout the Army. "The idea that 'man is least vulnerable when merely clothed against the weather and armored by his own agilities and a steel helmet,' was no longer valid. The modern soldier's challenge was mastery of new weapons and equipment and, most important, their combination. FSR 1939 revealed that the army was unprepared to meet that challenge." (Odom 134)

On March 3, 1943, General McNair wrote the War Department regarding a soldier's proximity to combat: "A cook in an infantry rifle company should not have poor eyes, flat feet or bad hearing, because he must be able to fire his weapons, be on his feet for long hours, and hear and understand whispered directions in the presence of the enemy (Palmer, Wiley, and Keast, 41-42). Duties, it was deemed during this time, were...

Contrary to John Wayne's line in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, some things about the army have changed. On the other hand, some things continue to be the same. Discipline, as George Washington wrote on July 29, 1759 in a "Letter of Instructions to the Captains of the Virginia Regiments," years before the inception of the U.S. Army or its NCOs, continues to be "the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all (Bartlett 336). The concepts embodied in training, duties and weapons, however, also remain constant, along with discipline, as they contribute to the soul and heart of the U.S. Army. This truth continues, despite changes in the Army since its inception on June 14, 1775, even during the time from 1925-1945.
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