tial message to Congress early in that year, recommending, among other things, that an exploring party be sent into the Missouri Valley. Congress approved the idea and appropriated the funds. To head the party Jefferson picked Meriwether Lewis, who had served with distinction as an Army officer and had been the President's private secretary. Lewis chose as companion his friend, Lieutenant William Clark of the Army. The party was organized under War Department supervision. Until the Purchase had been consummated, the preparations were secret. In May of 1804 Lewis and Clark, with 29 Army personnel and also 16 members who were to go only part way, started up the Missouri River. During that year they succeeded in getting as far as a point near the present site of Bismarck (N.D.), where they wintered with the Mandan Indians. Next year they continued up to the Missouri's "Three Forks." They followed one of these, which they named the Jefferson River, to its source in the Rocky Mountains; crossed the divide, with the help of a guide and horses obtained from the Shoshones; continued to one of the tributaries of the Columbia; and then took to canoes and followed that river down to its mouth, completing a journey of some 4,000 miles. They returned by a slightly different route, arriving in St. Louis in September of 1806 after an absence of over 28 months. The importance to the nation of the fund of information obtained on the geography, topography, climate, fauna and flora, resources, and inhabitants of the great Northwestern area cannot be overestimated. A much later series of expeditions began in 1871 when Lieutenant George N. Wheeler of the Army Engineers, two other officers, 26 civilian technicians, and a troop of cavalry left their base at Halleck Station (Neb.) to explore the land lying west of the 100th meridian. Up to then, that part of the continent had been a blank space on the map known as "The Great American Desert." On this and later trips, Wheeler and his party, which was split into three groups, made surveys and maps, laid out rail and wagon routes, and gathered facts on which the development and settlement of the area were largely based. Besides the engineers the parties included scientists who collected specimens of birds, fish, reptiles, minerals, and rocks. Their reports described the fertile river valleys and potential townsites, and brought to the attention of the public for the first time the great resources of the expanse west of the Missouri River. Another expedition in 1871 that may be mentioned was undertaken by Ferdinand V. Hayden, Chief of the Geological Survey of the Territories, into the area that is now Yellowstone Park. His supplies and means of transportation were furnished by the Quartermaster Corps of the Army, and he was accompanied by a party headed by Captain John Whitney Barlow of the Army Engineers. They gave to the nation the first complete verification of "travelers' tales" about hot springs, geysers, brilliantly colored canyons, and fossil forests in the area. The detailed reports and vivid photographs made by these expeditions helped to produce a public opinion favorable to passage of a Congressional bill making the wonderland a national park. Hayden himself vigorously supported this measure, which was approved on 1 March 1872. It marked the inception of the National Park idea, which has been so fruitful to the United States and has greatly influenced the recreation and conservation programs of many other nations. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE Two Army agencies-the Army Medical Service (as it is now named) and the Signal Corps-may im to be, respectively, the grandf the fath of our nationa service La was established, Army medical personnel began keeping meteorological records. In 1814 James Tilton, Physician and Surgeon of the U. S. Army, set up the first weather observing system by directing that weather diaries be maintained by all regimental, post, and hospital surgeons. In 1818 Army Surgeon General Joseph Lovell continued Tilton's work, in an effort to learn more of the influence of the weather on diseases and epidemics. The Army surgeons faithfully carried out this weather recording task; but it was increasingly believed to be an interference with their main field of interest. Accordingly, in 1869 a plan was proposed for the Signal Corps to take over such peacetime duties. In 1870 Congress authorized the Signal Corps to collect and transmit data to be used for weather predictions. This was the first attempt to organize a meteorological observing and forecasting service on a national scale. Using the telegraph lines of the Signal Corps, observation stations were set up at 25 locations scattered from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. By 1875 the service had been expanded to the Pacific Coast, and the Signal Corps was providing detailed information and precise weather maps for all principal areas of the United States. By 1878 there were nearly 250 stations. To meet the communication needs of the system the Corps installed thousands of miles of telegraph lines, largely in the West and far Northwest. During 1881-1883 an expedition, led by Lt. Adolphus W. Greely of the Signal Corps, penetrated deep into the Arctic region in search of meteorological data to permit more accurate weather predictions. In 1890 the service was transferred to the newly organized Weather Bureau of the Department of the Interior. This is one of several instances where the Army was the pioneer in some field of applied science, and where it created a working organization and in due time turned it over to a civilian agency of the Government. Although it is no longer responsible for national weather service as such, the Signal Corps has necessarily retained its interest in the field of meteorology on account of the vital importance to the Army of accurate weather forecasting in wartime. One instance was the development of radiosonde equipment for obtaining meteorological data from the upper atmosphere by balloon-borne apparatus. The device was able to furnish critically important data in World War II. Later, after the war, the Corps developed the radar storm detector, now used by both weathermen and aircraft pilots. It gives instant warning of a storm at distances as great as two to three hundred miles, and from six to eight hours before the storm's arrival. THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS The creation of this agency was one of the first acts of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration. The idea behind it was to reduce the pressure of the then widespread national unemployment, and at the same time to accomplish useful public works, notably reforestation. The CCC was created by Congress on 31 March 1933. Its strength was fixed initially at 250,000, later at 300,000. Under the plan, as first outlined by the President, the Department of Labor was made responsible for selecting and certifying recruits, the War Department was charged with receiving certified applicants and organizing them into units, and the Departments of Interior and Agriculture were responsible for all other functions, including the establishment and maintenance of work camps and supervising forestry operations. On 10 April, however, the President made a major change in the original plan and directed the Army to assume, under the general supervision of the Director of the Civilian Conservation Corps, complete and permanent control of the CCC project, except for the functions of selecting recruits and supervising technical work in the forests. The immediate objective of the War Department became the assembly of approximately 300,000 men (more than were enlisted, incidentally, during the Spanish-American War), establishing them in a series of small camps in various and often isolated regions throughout the United States, and making adequate provision for their health, welfare, and maintenance. Obviously, hundreds of additional officers would be required to administer what eventually became 1,450 camps, and to supervise the territorial districts into which the camps were grouped. To supplement available Regular personnel the President authorized the use of a limited number of officers from the junior grades of the Officers Reserve Corps. Small contingents were also provided by the Navy and the Marine Corps. On 1 July 1933 the War Department reported that the mobilization had been completed, that 1,315 camps had been established, and that CCC units had been organized and transported to the camps. The camps were officered by 3,641 officers of the Regular Army, Navy, and Marine Corps and 1,774 Reserve officers. The Regular officers were made available by ordering early graduation at service schools, by stripping Regular units, and by withdrawing officers from ROTC, ORC, and National Guard assignments. Authority was soon granted for calling additional Reserve officers to active duty with the CCC, and in due course they were able to relieve most of the Regular officers. The Reserve officers on CCC duty gained valuable experience in practical leadership. They received no military training, but their administrative responsibilities developed executive ability, resourcefulness, and initiative, all of which were soon to stand them and the country in good stead. There were 4,400 Reserve officers on duty with the CCC by the summer of 1934, and by August of 1935 this number had grown to 9,300. Enrollment in the camps reached a maximum of 506,000 men in 1935; this strength dropped to approximately 350,000 men in April of 1936, thereby reducing the number of Reserve officers on CCC duty to 7,079. A total of 3,008,184 men were rolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps between April 1933 and June 1939. The CCC was suspended in 1942. THE INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL YEAR The Army participated actively in the IGY. Two agencies that may be mentioned here are the Quartermaster Corps and the Transportation Corps. QMC personnel sat in on the early planning for IGY as members of interservice task groups, and furnished technical data. They participated in Operations Deep Freeze I and II; supplied materiel and personnel, including all cold weather clothing for IGY landbased personnel; and gave instruction in the normal and emergency use of such clothing and equipment. The Transportation Corps was given responsibility for tractor train operation in the Antarctic. Thereupon the en QMC provided a specially designed ration-light, compact, and with high caloric content. It was a notable example of advanced feeding concepts and has been very popular with IGY personnel. The QMC is represented in the glaciology research program in Antarctica. This is concerned with the effects of solar radiation on the local climate, and also in the glaciology program for North America. It has given valuable assistance to such phases of the latter program as those at Brooks Range, Blue Glacier, and Juneau Ice Fields in Alaska. ABBREVIATIONS AAA-Antiaircraft Artillery A. C. of S.-Assistant Chief of Staff AFB-Air Force Base AG-Adjutant General AGC-Adjutant General's Corps AGD-Adjutant General's Department AMEDS-Army Medical Service ANZUS-Australia, New Zealand, United States Treaty ASA-Army Security Agency CAMG-Civil Affairs and Military Government CBR-Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Warfare CCC-Civilian Conservation Corps CINCLANT-Commander in Chief, Atlantic CINCPAC-Commander in Chief, Pacific CINCUNC-Commander in Chief, United Nations Command CINCUSAREUR-Commander in Chief, U.S. Army, Europe CONARC-Continental Army Command CONUS-Continental United States DA-Department of the Army D. C. of S.-Deputy Chief of Staff DCSLOG-Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics DOW-Died of wounds EUCOM-European Command FEC-Far East Command GHQ-General headquarters ICBM-Intercontinental ballistic missile IRBM-Intermediate range ballistic missile JAG-Judge Advocate General JCS-Joint Chiefs of Staff KIA-Killed in action KP-Kitchen police MAAG-Military Assistance Advisory Group MAP-Military Aid Program MDW-Military District of Washington MIT-Massachusetts Institute of Technology MOS-Military Occupational Specialty MP-Military police NATO-North Atlantic Treaty Organization NCO-Noncommissioned officer NGUS National Guard of The United States NORAD-North American Air Defense Command NSLI-National Service Life Insurance NYNG-New York National Guard OAFIE-Office, Armed Forces Information and Education OASD-Office, Assistant Secretary of Defense OCINFO-Office of the Chief of Information OCMH-Office of the Chief of Military History OCS-Officer Candidate School QMG Quartermaster General R & D-Research and Development RCT-Regimental combat team ROCID-Reorganization of current infantry divisions ROTAD-Reorganization of the airborne division ROTC-Reserve Officers Training Corps |