Page:Legislative History of the AAF and USAF.djvu/38

 �This Page Declassified lAW EO12958 USA1 ß HISTORICAL STUDIES  3I ment of the 54-group program. ø' On 17 March 1941 Congress also appropriated the necessary funds for the leasing oi thirty 5,000-acre gunnery and bombing ranges. ø In order to obtain a sufficient number of cadets to carry on the expanded pilot-train- ing program in 1941, further legislative ac- tion was necessary The statutory basis for pilot training was too narrow to meet the expanding personnel requirements of the Army air armsand the qualifications were too restrictive. For one thing, the educa- tional reqmrements were so high that they kept many young men who were excellent pilot material from qualifying for pilot training. Neither was the term "flying cadet" any longer a correct one to use, since the Air Corps training program had been enlarged to include the instruction of many more engineers, meteorologists, photo- graphic laboratory workers, etc., than had formerly been trained. Then, too, it was felt in the Air Corps that unless legisla- tion was obtained placing Ar Corps cadets on a parity with those of the Navy and Ma- rine Corps m matters of pay, allowances, and status, it would be mpossble for the Air Corps to compete with the Navy in se- curing the flying cadet material it needocli o The Air Corps also felt that the flying ca- dets were not getting pay rases commen. surate with those being received or de- mandeal m other branches o the service, and that thmr insurance protection was inadcquate2 o On the recommendation of the Personnel Divimon, Air Corps, a bill was prepared m the Plans Dwsion and submitted to The Adsutant General on 20 August 1940 by the C/AC, who recommended its immedmte transmission to Congress for enactment in the current session. A month later two bills were introduced m Congress to create the new grade of "aviation cadet" to replace the old grade of "flying cadet." One bill (H.R 10526) was killed in comrmttee, the other (S. 365) received favorable consid- eration in both houses but was held over until the next session. The aviahon cadet bill was reintroduced as S. 840 after the opening oi the 77th Congress, let Session, was passed by both houses without oppose- lion, was approved, and becane Public Law 97, 77 Cons., 1 Sees. on 3 June 1941. The Aviation Cadet Act had six major provimons. 1) the spemal and separate en- listed grade of aviation cadet was created in the Air Corps, Regular Army in subeli. rution or the grade o flwng cadet created by the act of $uly 11, 1919; 2) the Secretary of War "was authorized and drected to es- tablish and maintain one or more schools for the tramLug and instruction o awat[on cadets"; 3) swation cadet personnel were to be procured by voluntary enhstment of male citizens of the United tates and transfers of quahfied enhsted men of the Regular Army. All cadets were obhgated to accept coremlemOnS as second heutenants in the Air Cops Reserve upon completion of the course, and to serve for three years on active duty, upon completion of which they would be promoted to first lieutenant; 4) base pay for aviation cadets was set at $75.00 per month, including pay for flying risk; they were to recmve one dollar per day subsistence pay, and quarters, medical care, hosptahzatlon, clothing, uniforms, and equipment at government expense, in addi- tion to travel pay. When commissioned as second lieutenants, they were to recmve a uniform allowance of $150; 5) all aviation cadets were to be issued government life insurance to the amount of $10,000, the promrams to be paid by the government; when commssloned as second lieutenants they were to have the optson oi contmuLug the insurance at their own expense; 6) Air Corps Reserve officers not selected for com- missions in the Regular Army and released from active duty whmh had been continu- ous for one or more years were to receive a bonus of $500 for each complete year of ac- tive service as an ocer. While the aviation cadet bfil was going through the legislative process, action was initiated to obtain passage oœ a law to per- mit the training of enhsted men as avia- tion students. It had been evident since the end of 1940 that there was a shortage of prior training applicants who could meet the rigorous educational reqmrements. If the need for trained flying personnel was to be met, educational quahficaSlons had to be THIS PAGE Declassified lAW EO12958